Puella Magi Aeternum Bellum:In Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition
by smartcircle
Summary: In the 31st Millennium, the Imperium of Mankind survives only due to the power of magic and its wielders. A young girl makes a wish and takes her first steps into a larger world as she joins the most ruthless and brutal police force of the most terrible regime imaginable. The laughter of thirsting gods echoes as both blood and tears are shed.
1. Beginning of a Long Awakening

**First of all, I'd just like to give a shout out to Hieronym, the author of the amazing PMMM fic _To the Stars. _It basically inspired me to write some sci-fi PMMM story, and when i was reading _Pariah, _a Warhammer 40,000 novel(Also very good), I joked to myself about Bequin being a magical girl. Then I came up with this. Please go read _To the Stars _if you haven't already, it's an amazing story, and I aspire to make my writing as good as that, although this story is less world-building, and more drama like the original show.**

**Note that this is a fusion of Warhammer 40,000 and PMMM. This features no characters from 40k only places are the same, so expect a lot of differences in terms of the 40k content. This is not meant to adhere to the canon of 40k nor PMMM, as this technically takes place in a universe that is different from both canon PMMM and canon 40k. **

**This is my first fic, but I won't ask for kindness. This is going to be a long story, and I don't want it to fall apart because people are nice. Be as mean as necessary, I prefer feeling bad but understanding the flaws rather than feeling good but thinking that nothing is wrong. There shouldn't be any glaring grammar errors, I hope. And remember, this chapter is certainly filled with drama, but this won't be the norm for the whole story. The story starts off more slowly with drama as characters are established, but the world-building and actual story picks up in later chapters.**

**I'm just gonna shut up and let you guys read on. **

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><p>It is the 31st Millennium. For more than one hundred centuries, the Goddess has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. She is the Master of Mankind by Her own will, and Master of a Million Worlds by the might of Her magic. She is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from a realm beyond our own. She is the Carrion Queen of the Imperium, for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that She may never truly die.<p>

Yet even in Her deathless state, The Goddess continues Her eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the manifestation of the light of The Goddess's Hope. Vast armies give battle in Her name on uncounted worlds. Greatest among Her soldiers are the Adeptus Magica, the Mage Knights, magical girls enhanced with Her power. Their comrades in arms are Legion. The Imperial Guard and countless planetary defense forces, the ever vigilant Inquisition and the Tech-Mages of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants, and worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the greatest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Only magic may light the way now. Forget the promise of progress and hope, for in the grim dark future there is only despair. There is no hope amongst the stars, only an eternity of despair and hatred, and the laughter of thirsting gods.

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><p><em><strong>Puella Magi Aeternum Bellum<strong>_

**_In Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition_**

**_Volume 1: The Dreamer Wakes_**

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><p>When raising your child, do not attempt to coddle her, or foster an environment where she feels like you completely support everything she does. Such behavior is ultimately detrimental to the development of your child. A wish can only come from great desire, and great desire is something that a spoiled child will not feel. Push her to her limits, force her to excel in all things, give her a reason to want to contract. You must mentally break her down, until she wants nothing but to escape from your control. Ideally, she will be pushed into this phase by the time she is thirteen years of age.<p>

Although this task may be a difficult one for any parent, a child cannot mature into a healthy candidate for contracting if these steps are not followed. Intense desire has been shown to increase the chance of potential appearing. The following chapter shall discuss exactly how this can be accomplished. Remember, you do this for the Goddess and the Imperium.

-Excerpt from _Raising an Angel_

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><p>There was nothing at first. Only darkness. There were no sensations, no feelings, only darkness. There was seemingly no escape. But maybe one could be found.<p>

The first step was taken tentatively. There is no sound, only darkness. Another step. A faint sound can be heard and a dim light appears. A third step. There is more now. More light, more sound, a feeling of touch became present.

After an eternity, the light was bright enough to see clearly. Stepping created the noise it should. Feet could be felt against the shoes that pressed against the floor.

A long corridor stretched out. But it wasn't long, it was short, but it was long again. There was no clear distance. The corridor is checkered, but then it was not, then it was black, then it was white. Now, all the colors could be seen. It was pointless trying to figure these things out.

_Who am I? _That was the question. Not where, when, why, or how. _What is my name? _The human looked down and observes that it is a girl. _Now on to the other questions. What's behind the door?_ She was scared. She was not sure if she wanted to go through the door. So she looked for another way.

She looked around herself and saw nothing, only formless dark. She looked behind her and saw the same. _What's happening? Where's the light? _She was terrified now. Even the light above the small space she occupied was going out. She screamed. She looked at the door. _It's the only way._

She reached her hand out and grasped the doorknob. She turned it slowly and pushed it open.

It was dark again. She screamed. In front of her, just like before, was nothing, nothing but a huge empty space. Then she realized she heard herself scream. So she wasn't in that void.

_But what is the darkness?_ Then the girl realized she could see small points of light. There were like tiny, glowing specks of light on a gargantuan black canvas. _Those are stars, aren't they? _She realized she was in space.

_But how? _She walked forwards and found herself impeded by glass. On a spaceship then. _How am I here? Why? _

Her question was quickly answered. There was a flash. She blinked. When her eyes opened again, there was a huge…_thing _in front of her. She didn't know what it was. It was spherical, on it were huge expanses of what looked like black metal.

She felt instinctively that she knew what she was looking at. It was her planet, her home. One of those cities could be hers. She had never seen it like this, but somehow she knew.

_Why am I here? Above my own planet?_ Then she saw something she would always try to forget. A sight a certain kind of person may see many times. But never regret seeing it as much as the girl did.

The planet lit up. It was as bright as the sun.

The girl shut her eyes. When she opened them again the planet was on fire. She couldn't even see the surface anymore, the flames were so thick.

"What?!" the girl screamed. She realized she could speak. "What is happening?"

For another minute, the atmosphere burned. The surface would be scorched of all life. Anything left would have no oxygen to breathe. When it subsided, the girl saw the smoking ruins of the surface. The girl wanted to look away, to find the one responsible. But she couldn't, it was too…beautiful. The thought was sick. But it was true.

Immediately following the subsiding of the flames, there were more bright flashes on the surface. One was on the ground the girl was above. The flashes left holes in the planet's surface. She realized what they were.

These… monsters weren't just burning this world. They were truly killing it.

"Why!" she screamed "Why does this have to happen!"

Huge explosions shook the planet. The crust of the planet immediately developed massive cracks. The planet was going to die, split into thousands of pieces.

But no one answered. She kept trying to turn away. Or at least close her eyes. But she couldn't. The world continued to split up. Tremors shook the ground as lava spilled onto the surface. She still couldn't close her eyes. The horrifying beauty of the scene captivated her.

It was epic, terrible, awe-inspiring, and horrifying.

"Please!" she cried out "Please make it stop!"

The planet continued to writhe it its death throes. Massive cracks spread across the surface like it was glass. Massive eruptions shot out of the ground as the core collapsed in on itself.

She couldn't believe it. What had the people of this planet done to deserve this?

"Why? Why? Why did this have to happen?" she begged, hoping someone would answer. But more importantly, she realized, was the request. "Please, stop this,"

The girl finally tore her eyes away from the planet below and looked to her right. She saw another girl. About the same height. She was fixated on the planet below. She showed no emotions whatsoever.

"Please! Make this stop! Please!" She begged to the silent figure.

But whoever this monster was, it didn't care, it didn't care that billions of people had just died as it watched. It didn't care that an _entire planet_ itself was splitting apart in front of her.

She knew it wasn't human, no human being could order this. No human, only a daemon. One of those daemons the preachers warned them of.

"Please…," she whispered one last time, slumping to the floor, knowing it was useless. "Make it stop,"

"No one can, not at this point" a flat, monotone voice replied. She looked to her left and there it was; a small white creature. It had large pink eyes and a tiny mouth. Two long ears stretched from its head with rings near the ends. "But, _you_ can stop it,"

"Who are you?" the girl asked. Her eyes widened. She can stop this. How? She would so anything to save the billions that just died.

"That doesn't matter,' the white creature replied. "What matters is that you can save this planet and everyone on it."

"But how?" she asked. She needed to know. She didn't care what this was. Even if it was a demon who stole her soul, if she could save this planet, she would.

The creature had an answer. Cheerfully, it said "By making a contract with me and becoming a Magical Girl!"

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><p>The buzzing of her alarm clock woke Erwine Braune.<p>

She quickly sat up and jumped out of the cramped bed. It was hard and uncomfortable, but she had gotten used to it. The floor was cold beneath her bare feet and the air was stale and cold.

Her parents had already left for the manufactorum at which they worked. She didn't need to not see or hear them there to know. They had always left before she woke up in the morning. It had been like that for as long as Erwine could remember.

It was dark, absolutely no light in the room. She went to flip the light switch. It was located on the right side of the door, so she had to take a few steps, her bed being on the left side. She didn't need to fumble, for she had always had to turn it on in the morning. She had memorized the location long ago.

The single light in the ceiling dimly illuminated the room. It was just enough so that Erwine had no need to strain her eyes, but it wasn't the brightest. Her parents slept in the same kind of bed Erwine did.

Their two empty beds were across the room from Erwine, one above the other. Erwine also had another bunk above her bed, but due to the lack of a sibling, it was unoccupied. She wondered if it would ever be filled, but she hoped sincerely that it never was.

She looked into the small mirror above and to the left of her bed. Her shoulder-length silver hair was disheveled and sticking into the air in places. She'd have to comb it down as usual. Her hair always looked like that in the morning, especially if she had a night where she had turned over and over in bed. The only way to defeat it was to vigorously comb it until only a couple of strands still dared to rise into the air.

There were dark circles under her blue eyes. She didn't get much sleep the night before. Her dreams had been…strange. This had been occurring for the past several days. Erwine didn't know why. She wasn't sure that she wanted to know why.

She was at least happy that she could remember nothing of her dream from the night before. They were starting to leave her with a sense of uneasiness in the morning, and Erwine knew that would only be enhanced if she actually remembered the contents.

A quick glance at her alarm clock showed that it had not malfunctioned, as it sometimes liked to do. It was 6:00 in the morning. She always woke at that time, or at least if her alarm clock worked.

Erwine hated to comb her hair. She wanted it to look nice, but didn't want to spend the time. She grudgingly picked up the comb from its position on the nightstand next to her bed and began to pull her hair into its proper position. The process took only three minutes. But for Erwine, it was three minutes too many. The worst part was the pain, resulting from the curls and knots that formed in her hair. She liked the look of her long hair, but at the same time it annoyed her.

After completing the tedious yet necessary task, Erwine began to get dressed. She took off her pajamas and threw on her daily clothes. It was her scholam uniform, the same thing she'd been wearing for a long time. That didn't really change either, just an increase in size of the uniform whenever she grew. It consisted of white shit underneath a blue jacket and a knee-length white-and-black checkered skirt. Erwine had a positive opinion on the popular subject of how ugly the uniform was.

Personally, she thought it suited everyone well. Nada and the other people who disliked it mainly didn't like the coloration. They said it was too dull. Erwine disagreed, but it was quite a silly topic to argue about in the first place. But in this world, there was not much else to argue about.

Erwine liked to move fast. She hated wasting time and considered every second not used to its fullest extent wasted. She felt very strongly about this. Her mother felt very strongly that Erwine should talk to the psychologist at the scholam. Erwine had disagreed for the longest time, and she could not see herself ever agreeing with that.

When Erwine finished dressing she reached underneath her pillow and retrieved a book. It was an old book. It had that dusty old look and fainted text that everyone associated with old books. It turned that common belief was rather true. Erwine had no idea how old this particular book was; just that it was very old.

The book was part of Erwine's personal collection. She kept it hidden from her parents. She wasn't sure if they'd be mad. Because some of these books children should not be reading. Or so some adults thought.

It had everything to do with the violence displayed or mentioned. This particular book, for example, was the _Siothean Fusiliers Sergeant's Field Manual_. It contained exact descriptions of various military operations. Some parents didn't like their children reading of violent things when they were young. They believed that would turn children into criminals. Erwine's parents had yet to find this particular text, so she wasn't sure how they would react. She herself wasn't sure on that matter. She didn't know of anyone who was a criminal, so she had no ability to make judgments.

The book was interesting to Erwine. She didn't understand most of the terms used, but otherwise it was fascinating to at least get a somewhat good understanding of the glorious Imperial Guard worked. She had heard plenty of stories who said they were somehow experts on the organization, but she doubted all of them.

Erwine placed the book under her arm and walked to the door. She opened it and walked into the large room. To the right of the door to Erwine's bedroom, was a small living room. There was a sofa large enough for about three and a chair.

To Erwine's left was where everyone hung their coats and placed their shoes. In addition, there was a table placed against the wall with sewing materials on it, in case anything needed fixing.

To the left, on the other side of the room, was a small kitchen. It stretched for about 6 feet from a door in the middle of the wall to the corner and then another six feet down the wall Erwine was facing. There was a table in the middle of the counters about three by three feet.

Where the kitchen ended, on the side facing Erwine, was a door in the middle of the wall. That door led to another bedroom. To the right of that door was the door that led into the single bathroom. One bathroom, for the two families that lived here. Fortunately, four people were most of the time two of the people were awake, so it worked out.

That other bedroom was occupied by Erwine's best friend, Nada Vladic and her parents. They had lived here Erwine's entire life. She and Nada had known each other since they were born.

Erwine knew that Nada would not be awake. She would always try to get as much sleep as possible. Erwine would sometimes have to coax her out of bed.

Erwine went to the kitchen and placed her book on the table. She then took out some of their bread rations for the day, a glass of water, and began to eat. They had little taste, but Erwine knew they were actually somewhat nutritious. She also suspected it was better that they had little taste. If they had one, it would probably not be a good taste. Erwine didn't really hate the food, but she didn't love it.

She opened up her book and began to read. She was about a fourth of the way through the book. Currently, it was talking about the correct procedure on how to storm a building of any size or layout. Erwine figured she would never get tired of reading about such details that were meaningless to her and those around her.

Erwine had no idea if she'd ever have use for this knowledge. That possibility was very unlikely. Unless she was conscripted into the Guard. She had no particular desire to enlist and die fighting on some distant, nameless, planet. But she also had no desire

Erwine finished her food and cleaned up after herself. She proceeded to pack her lunch for the day with the rations she always assigned to lunch. She placed the lunch bag inside her scholam bag; situated to the left of the door.

She finished this routine by brushing her teeth. It was a necessary thing. The foods were made to do as little damage to teeth as possible. But the teeth still got dirty, so money had to be spent on expensive toothpaste.

It only took a few minutes and by the time she finished brushing and using the bathroom for its usual purpose, she heard Nada emerge from her room. Nada also followed an exact procedure. She'd always come out of her room, get her food, and use the bathroom, if Erwine wasn't done yet, otherwise she'd go there first. After that she'd sit and eat until the two of them had to leave for classes.

Erwine walked out of the bathroom and retrieved her book from the kitchen table. She went and sat on the chair in the right corner of the room. As she left the bathroom she went past Nada, who said nothing. Erwine said nothing in response.

Nada was a blond-haired girl. Her hair went down to the top of her neck. She liked to keep it short. She was very skinny as well, commonly participating in athletics. Erwine envied her health. She was a bit out of shape for a girl her age.

They never said "hello" anymore; the two of them both knew what the other was thinking and what their day would be like and what yesterday had been like. Today was no different. _Except for…that. We might want to talk about that. _Erwine wondered to herself.

There was an important thing that they should discuss, but both Erwine and Nada had promised each other to talk with all their friends first. Besides, Erwine had already thought about it and she didn't like the worrying it created.

It was about six-thirty now. Every scholam day, at about six-thirty, they needed to head to the scholam. Both Nada and Erwine kept track of what time it was. They knew exactly what to do. Nada cleaned up her food; Erwine stashed away her book and he two of them went to dress in their winter clothes.

They went to the racks to the left of the door outside and began to throw on their clothes. Heavy coats, scarves, hats, gloves, boots, it was very cold in the winter. Due to all the buildings, the air was rarely warmed enough in the winter to melt any snow or even raise the temperature above freezing all day long.

After dressing they picked up their scholam bags. Nada and Erwine worked in perfect synchronization. They did this every day of the scholam week. At almost the exact same time every day. Erwine sometimes wondered why she hadn't gone insane yet.

Erwine opened the door and Nada walked out first. There was some difference. Yesterday, Nada opened the door.

It took a couple of minutes to walk their way out of the hab complex they lived in. They lived on one of the higher floors, so it took a few minutes to walk down the flights of stairs to the bottom. They walked in silence. Neither of them had anything to say to the other. They both knew what the other was thinking of.

The two of them reached the ground floor and went towards the side that would exit them on the quickest route to their destination. As soon as the door was opened, the cold hit them like a sucker punch. But, again, they'd experienced it before, so the two of them soldiered on and began to walk as fast as they could to maintain their warmth.

The season of winter had begun a month before, and had been signaled by the dropping of the temperature to brutally low levels. Cold winds had rolled in, pushing dark skies ahead of them to empty their payloads of rain, in the first week. But after that, the cold was enough to cause snow.

The next week had brought a full meter of snow to the city, which did not help with the temperature issue. This snow had led to many an injury from children who went out exposed to the elements, but the next week was worse. The clouds had dispersed, having emptied themselves of their moisture, and this led to a period of dryness.

The lack of moisture decreased the temperature drastically, and Erwine had heard stories of people who froze to death. Supposedly, an entire hab block's heating systems had failed during the night, and everyone inside save a lucky few had frozen to death. Her parents had passed the story off as an urban legend, but Erwine wondered if her strange dreams had something to do with her fear of dying in the middle of the night.

The last week, however, had seen the return of some of the clouds to the city. They still floated high above in the air, gently casting snow down to the ground sometimes, and sitting motionless at other times. Erwine certainly preferred their snow to the deadly cold of the dry days, during some of which classes had been cancelled due to the harshness of the cold.

Erwine and Nada started to make their way towards the scholam. Their hab block's front entrance emptied onto a street, but they had taken a side exit, which opened into an alleyway to the side of the main streets. Most children traveled through these passageways between buildings. There was little to fear during the brightness of the scholam days, and the number of people walking also decreased any chance of assault.

If one were to map out this single sector of the outer city of Hive Tertranus, they would see that the alleyways were not just straight lines going right in between buildings. Many buildings were oddly shaped, due to the more haphazard design of the outer city, compared to the strictly regulated inner city. This led to the alleyways twisting and turning to move around the buildings. There were also many open areas where there was a planned site for a building, but some places also featured half-finished structures that had been planned and started, but never finished.

Many half-finished areas like this dotted the outer city, remnants of projects canceled for myriad reasons that none of the inhabitants really understood. All Erwine knew was that the half-finished buildings were there. Not why they were there.

She and Nada continued through the cold towards their final destination, which was still far from them. They lived about three kilometers from the scholam, which they could walk in about thirty minutes when one takes into account the twisting alleys they had to get through. Classes began twenty minutes after seven o'clock, so they still had around forty minutes.

Erwine wasn't worried. She was rarely late to scholam, and this year, she had never been late. However, that was not what occupied her mind this morning.

She quickly glanced behind herself, looking back up at the inner city. The inner city was a thousand times different form the outer city, at least from what Erwine understood. The inner city consisted of three levels, the Upper Hive, the Lower Hive, and the Underhive.

The rich and noble lived in the upper parts, while commoners dwelled in the lower city. The poor and homeless were in the Underhive, which was apparently the land of gangs and other people who defied the law. The Upper Hive stretched around two kilometers into the air, while the Underhive supposedly went below ground level.

Erwine preferred the more horizontal stretch of the outer city, in which only the lower middle class dwelled. Her parents were the norm in these parts, as manual workers were always welcomed by the many factories that made up the hive city.

As Erwine looked back, she specifically targeted the hive towers of the Upper City with her gaze. They were an ever-present symbol of the opulence of the nobility, and that was why Erwine had to hate them. Clusters of them were scattered about the kilometers-wide Upper City, with the highest reaching two kilometers into the air.

They were mighty constructions of metal, true testaments to the skill and ability of the Imperium's architects and builders, but they were also true testaments to the massive inequalities between the various classes of the hive city.

Erwine shook her head, knowing that whining about such problems would not help solve them. She also knew that there was little action she could take to rectify the situation, being only a single little girl in a much larger society.

Erwine understood that she was a single cog in the greatest machine ever crafted by mankind. Supposedly, the Imperium stretched across the entire galaxy, and was composed of millions and millions of planets and stars. Erwine found it hard to believe that there was even anything outside of Siothea, but the Goddess had to exist on Holy Terra, so there was at least that.

This was when Erwine started to question everything about the world. She wondered if the Goddess was truly real, or if she was just a construction of the rich rulers, to control the populace below them. _I can't imagine that such a being could truly exist, and somehow rule over millions of worlds, _the entire idea was silly for Erwine.

Nevertheless, Erwine was a staunch believer. She liked to think that something was out there, even if it wasn't the Goddess. It gave her hope, and that was what the Goddess was all about.

She was of course the Goddess of Hope, Magic, and Mankind. Erwine wondered if that was the order of the things she was important to, or if it was just an arbitrary order someone came up with randomly.

She shook her head fiercely, as if to forcefully remove the thoughts from her mind. Such thoughts could be considered heretical, and Erwine had heard far too many urban rumors about magical girls being able to read minds to try to find out for herself if that was true or not.

Besides, she was close to the scholam now. Nada was getting more and more tense, and Erwine realized her own muscles were beginning to become taught, and her heart was starting to beat faster and faster.

Erwine had come to understand that nothing was inevitable. Everything that was said to happen would happen at some point, unless it was outright rendered incapable of happening. Delaying the issue would only make it worse when the issue was finally confronted.

The issue that Nada and Erwine were now thinking of was one that was more important than any other in either of their lives up until this point. They had been waiting to discuss this issue for a long time, but it was not an issue that could be discussed by just the two of them alone. The two girls emerged from the alleyway, and moved out onto the street in front of the scholam.

Noises of hundreds of children filled the air, but the other sounds encountered in the city were not present, as this was not a place where many adults would be. Erwine and Nada easily made their way through the dozens of children who blocked their path, which would have been a short one, to the street corner where they would wait for their friends.

Erwine glanced hurriedly around, straining to see the amount of light in the sky. She had memorized long ago how bright the sky would be before classes would begin, it came with being in the same place for years and years. A small part of her mind wondered if they would have the time to discuss, there being only around ten minutes left before classes actually began. This was a day that none of them could miss.

Nevertheless, Erwine and her companion stood on the street corner, doing their best to ignore the biting cold as the snow rose up to the tops of their shoes. Every now and then, a cold gust of wind would sweep in, causing an additional wave of shivers in both of the girls. Their friends always took longer to arrive, being farther from the scholam then Erwine and Nada.

Erwine was constantly annoyed at that fact, as she and Nada waited most days to speak with them for at least a couple of minutes before classes began, but she could not be personally angry with them. They lived farther away because of their parents and the specific manufactorum where they worked, not because they wished to annoy Erwine.

Finally, after only a few minutes that were dragged into an eternity by the cold, Erwine saw her friends walking down the street. However, only two of the three were there. Matile and Renata always walked together, but at times, Natalya was a bit behind. She wasn't the best at waking up quickly and being ready to move in the mornings.

As the two girls approached, Erwine counted down in her head to find that they had but five minutes before they had to go. Classes started in ten, but it was good to be moving before the last five minutes, lest one be unexpectedly held up. She wanted to say something, but the pressure to resolve the issue now was clear, so Erwine kept her mouth shut as her friends joined her and Nada.

"Good morning," Matile said, and Renata echoed her. Nada responded in kind, and Erwine said the same thing. It was a short exchange, lacking any kind of true emotional investment, instead coming purely from the desire to stave off the awkwardness that would come if no one greeted one another.

It was a social constant, everyone greeted one another when meeting after saying goodbye, even if they did not exactly truly wish that person a good morning. It was clear that in this case, the various persons involved in the greetings truly wished the others a good morning, but lacked the space in their minds to truly put their heart into it, as they were otherwise occupied.

As Erwine counted down, she noticed Natalya was approaching. The girl was at least jogging lightly, showing she understood how late she was. That pleased Erwine. It would not do to stain her rather clean record with one tardy report. It was not that she would be punished for one, single, isolated incident, on a day on which many would be held up by concerns similar to Erwine's, it was that she had little to praise herself for, and having a perfect record was something Erwine could be proud of.

Natalya said good morning as she came closer, and like the good little pigs everyone else was, they said the same thing back. The five friends formed a circle, with nothing but the corner of the street in the middle. Erwine could strain her ears, and hear the sounds of other girls talking, some in groups just like this one.

No boys were outside at this point. They were all inside. But most of the girls were for some reason standing outside, in the biting cold, in the freezing wind, in the cold snow, talking amongst themselves. Yet this talk was not idle chatter. It was talk that could decide their fates. Not just what they would do, but how they would die, when they would die, and who would be responsible for their deaths.

Erwine turned her head back to look at her close friends once more. They were her closest friends, and also her only true friends. They had always been with her, at least Nada had, and the others had been known to Erwine for years.

The other girls were looking around with the same uncertain gaze Erwine was, unsure of how to being the conversation, or even if a conversation should be begun in the first place. Nada had courage, however. She was always braver than most, especially Erwine.

"I assume that we are ready to speak?" she asked, her voice neutral and calm. She tried to not show any emotion, but the combination of fear and excitement within her was easily noticed by everyone in the group.

Fear, of the uncertainty of what the decision would be, of whether her opinion would be respected, of what the outcome of this conversation would be.

Excitement: that her future was to be decided right here, that what was said right now may change everything, that her very life was on the line.

Why a person would be excited about that was unknown to Erwine. She did a better job of hiding her feelings, and it was good that she did, for she felt nothing else but fear. Something told her that something would go wrong. It was her gut.

She liked to trust that part of her. That part that was her base instincts. It was usually right, while when she thought long and hard, she was usually wrong.

"I think that…" Nada had to take a breath in order to be able to say anything. Such was her excitement that she was barely able to speak. But her fear could have easily caused that same stuttering uncertainty her voice showed. "…If we are approached, then we should…" She trailed off.

There was a word that she did not want to say, simply because saying it would acknowledge the reality of this conversation. It would confirm that what was being spoke of was a real issue that all of the girls faced. A part of each of them just wanted to think that it was just a dream, a fantasy that would not, could not, become reality.

Natalya's breath caught in her throat as she opened her mouth to speak. There was only one reason she would stop like that. She had a contradictory point of view. Erwine mentally took a step back, waiting to see the effect Natalya's words had on Nada, before she added in her opinion.

"What is it?" Renata asked. Her harsh tone, critical of Natalya's fear, showed that she was supportive of Nada. Matile said nothing, but her posture, with her gaze fixed on Natalya, clearly displayed that she supported her roommate.

"I do not think we should be so quick to…" Natalya was also afraid to say the word. For some strange reason, it was impossible for this few girls to say a single, two-syllable word. Yet this word was one that could change their lives. "We should assess the outcome, carefully plan what we shall ask for, and then we proceed."

"Why?" Nada asked, "You've heard stories about how potential can fluctuate in the space of a day, sometimes even less than that." Her tone was not one of anger. It was one of a girl unable to understand the opinion of another, such was the passion she felt for her own opinion.

And when speaking on this matter, Nada could not be blamed for being so aggressive. No one could, really, such was the importance of it, especially when compared to the problems these five friends usually faced. And she had, of course, just spoken one of the many words which had already been playing a large role in the minds of the five girls. In the minds of all the teenage girls.

Potential. A word that meant little to a boy, or a grown adult of the Imperium. But to a little girl, such a word meant the world. It was a measure of whether or not one was suitable to become a magical girl. And for many girls, like the five who talked on this snow-covered street corner on this cold, windy, winter day, becoming a magical girl was the difference between a good life, and a terrible one.

"Yes, we've all heard those stories, told by girls who were angry that they never had the chance in the first place," Natalya snapped back, but she instantly regretted her decision, as Renata and Matile had already made their side clear.

"We cannot take the risk," Renata insisted, "This is far too important a matter to ignore like this. We can't sit around and think about what we want to do. If we have the chance, then we should contract!" Her voice was a harsh snap, not yet a shout, but if the conversation escalated as it had been, then there would be trouble.

Perhaps it was this snapping tone that made her finally spurt out the word that none wanted to say, nor even consider saying. Contract. Another seemingly trivial word, that meant everything to these young girls.

Matile backed up her friend. The two had a habit of agreeing on everything. Unlike Erwine and Nada, they thought alike. There had been many theories as to why, but Erwine had no seriously considered any of them for a long time now, especially not in these moments. "Natalya, I know that you are afraid. However, we cannot just spend multiple days carefully considering this issue, what is there even to consider, we all have dreams we want fulfilled right now."

She was better than Renata at speaking to the outnumbered girl, as she was calm and collected, the opposite of her clearly spited friend. Nada cut in at the end of Matile's words, "And besides, what else are you going to think of, you know the rules for a wish?"

All of them knew the rules for making a wish. They were not hard to memorize. They did not leave much room for creativity. But when dealing with the nearly uncontrollable power of miracles, it was necessary in order to prevent unforeseen harm. Harm that could manifest on a massive scale.

Natalya shrunk back from the three girls, slowly sliding her feet back through the thick snow. She looked down at the ground, not wanting to meet the gazes of the others. "Alright," she said, "I guess…" She trailed off, knowing that saying any more would only be trying to gain pity, and that would be pointless.

Erwine felt obligated to speak her mind. Especially when she was watching a good friend get shouted down by her other good friends. "Excuse me," she said, a bit meekly, knowledgeable of the fact that she was facing three people who very strongly believed that their opinions were the correct ones.

"Yes?" Nada asked. While her tone had been angry when dealing with Natalya, Nada was kind to Erwine. At least for now. Erwine had a sneaking suspicion that Nada would be just as angry with her once she voiced her actual opinion on the matter.

"I…I must agree with Nada…" the sentence trailed off quickly as Renata and Matile turned to look at Erwine, and the girl stepped back, faster and with more fear than Natalya had.

"Really?" Nada asked. She was not yet angry. Rather, it was like she pitied Erwine, as if the girl was cursed by an inability to understand the truth she spoke. Erwine was not looking to make her best friend angry at her, but she simply wished to argue her point.

"Nada…" Erwine warned, glancing at the sky quickly, "We don't have time for this." Her gut told her that they had…a ringing sound. The bell. Five minutes. Exactly.

"Yes, I think that we do," Nada said, taking a step towards Erwine. However, she stopped as she saw the look of fear on Erwine's face. The girl was expressing absolute terror as her friend advanced towards her. Erwine was close to actually shuddering, not from the cold for once, but from the intimidating glare given to her by Nada.

However, Nada saw this and was horrified in turn, at the thought that she would be making her friend feel this way. She opened her mouth, but no fitting words came to her mind. Not even a quick, simple apology would fit. Renata and Matile had things to say, but they stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt Nada and Erwine. Natalya looked on from the edge, wanting to speak as well, but she was too scared to speak.

Erwine stared into Nada's eyes, and Nada stared back into Erwine's eyes. The five girls were frozen. There was not a hint of tension in the air. There was only cold. A freezing gust of wind swept down the street, making each of the girls shiver as the wave of cold swept over their already cold bodies.

As if she was cued by this gust of cold wind, Erwine turned and ran. There was a shout behind her, but that did not stop her from sprinting all the way to the front doors of the scholam, and entering before anyone could catch her.

It was not as if she would have known she was being chased, as she never looked back. Erwine went to her first class, silently, and with heavy thoughts weighing on her mind. Her body may have warmed in the slightly better conditioned building, but that did not mean that Nada's effect on her heart was taken away as well.

* * *

><p>It was time for lunch. Erwine had already sat through three hours of classes, varying between interesting and boring topics. She was both motivated to care by the fact that her future depended on her paying attention, but also motivated to not care, because one could not be sure when they were a teenage girl.<p>

She walked slowly into the large cafeteria. She was not feeling very hungry, despite the stress which had been placed on her on this day. She knew that after lunch came the class all the girls her age were waiting for. She was no longer expecting it with a happy heart.

Now, Erwine looked forwards half an hour with fear, thinking that what was said would only reinforce Nada's claims, and make her own opinion irrelevant. Nevertheless, she still had to eat, at least a little. It was not as if she had much, her food consisting of a mix of bread and meat, straight from the scholam kitchens. It was not tasty, at least to someone who had never had it before. For Erwine, it was quite enjoyable, as she had never tasted anything for lunch besides this, save on holidays dedicated to various Imperial figures.

She sat down at one of the smaller tables. She was hoping that she would be alone, but unfortunately, she saw someone moving towards her. It was the last person she wanted to talk to, but also the only one. Erwine silently wished that her mind would sometimes make more sense.

Nada sat down across from her friend, setting her tray down before placing her backpack on the floor. The heavy thumping sound made by the falling pack only served to disrupt the fragile peace of mind Erwine had established in the last few hours. She was frightened, but at least she was not panicking.

Nada said nothing as she started to eat. Erwine had yet to begin, having stopped when she saw Nada approaching, but she hesitantly began to eat now that her friend showed no signs of anger or any other negative emotion.

The two girls ate in silence while the world around them was filled with noise. Hundreds of other children all spoke to one another, about various things. Few conversations were as serious as they had been earlier, outside. However, Erwine knew that she would not get the chance to have a lighthearted talk about something trivial at this lunch.

Nada was waiting to make a move. She was looking for the right time, the right place, to insert the words that would push Erwine over the edge. Erwine kept risking quick glances at the girl, only to find that she was not being watched.

Nevertheless, Erwine watched her friend carefully, until Nada said, calmly and casually, "I'm not that great of a friend, am I?"

Erwine was taken by surprise. She stopped risking quick looks, and stared at the girl in front of her, who was still digging into her food as if it was the last meal she'd ever have. There was a certain melancholy on her face, a kind that suggested she was sad, but also willing to hope.

"What do you mean? You're a wonderful friend, Nada," Erwine replied. It only clicked in her mind that she was contradicting her own thoughts a second after she spoke.

"I don't really think so," Nada replied, "I wasn't that kind to you earlier. I regret how threatening I was, to both you and Natalya."

"I'm sorry as well," Erwine said, "I suppose that your opinion makes more sense." Erwine did not truly believe this, but she preferred surrender to battle in any situation. She had not yet had to make this choice in a life-or-death case, but she knew that she could not choose battle, even if it was the choice that would bring her life.

A coward like her was incapable of standing up to anyone, not even her best friend. "You don't suppose that, do you?" Nada asked. She had a light grin on her face, the corners of her mouth turned upwards enough so that she showed a perfect example of how to look entirely content with one's situation, "You believe strongly in your opinions, but you're too afraid to support them."

Erwine did not even wonder how Nada knew this. They had slept in the same hab every single day of their lives. They knew each other better than anyone. "You're right," Erwine said, averting her eyes from Nada's.

Nada reached across the table, touching her fiend underneath the chin, "Stop being so scared," she said, "It's just me, you've nothing to be afraid of,"

"I know," Erwine said, but she still kept looking away, even though Nada tried to bring her head back to face her. "I know," she repeated, and said the word a couple more times.

"In fact, Erwine, I think that this fear is what's causing your opinion," Nada explained, "You're scared of contracting, so you don't want to rush into it."

"I am scared," Erwine admitted. Admitting her fear was not hard for her, however. "But I have reasons,"

"I know," Nada said, her tone soft, "In fact, I'm afraid for those same reasons. I know that this choice will change both of our lives forever, with no way to change them back. We'll forever be apart, and only one will truly benefit from the situation."

"That's why," Erwine nodded.

"But don't you see?" Nada asked, "You can be a hero? Who would turn down the chance to go out into the galaxy, to see far-off planets, to go to the stars, something none of us will ever do, unless we contract?"

Nada leaned across the table, bringing her face close to Erwine's, "You can be a hero who saves people, a hero who is respected and praised, not a single worker in a manufactorum on this single hive world, don't you want that?"

Erwine was scared. She was deathly afraid of having to one day face the chance to contract. But at the same time, she was excited, as she was not fond of staying where she was for the rest of her life. Yet, she had grown used to the constants in her life. The same things would occur at the same times on the same days, with the same people.

Many things scared Erwine, but change was one of the things that frightened her more than anything else. And contracting would lead to more chance than Erwine could even imagine.

"I want that," Erwine said, "But we all want that…"

"So if you get the chance, then why don't you want to take it immediately?!" Nada asked, her louder volume not coming from anger, but rather from the excitement she showed in an attempt to convince Erwine.

This excitement was genuine, but Erwine had always known that she had and Nada were different people. "I think that I would just prefer to stay here," Erwine said, "It's safer that way,"

"So what?!" Nada asked, leaning across the table even further, now slamming her hands down on it. Although she was obviously not angry, her excitement was beginning to scare Erwine. "Just take a chance for once in your life, you don't know how well it could pay off!"

Erwine had anger in her suddenly. She may be scared of everything, but she was willing to retaliate when people pushed her past her breaking point. Her mouth opened, and she burst into tears, falling back into her seat just as quickly as she had stood to launch her retort.

Erwine covered her face with her hands, trying to hide herself from the gazes of the other people in the cafeteria. However, most understood what today was, and those who did not were quickly informed by those who did know. Nobody except the rudest in the room looked on as Erwine cried. It was not as if she was the only person in the room doing so at the moment.

"I'm sorry," Nada said. She was back in her seat, having lost all the excitement she had displayed earlier. "I still don't understand you, do I?" There was a sorrow in her voice, a certain kind of sorrow, which Erwine could not stand to hear.

She cried out, "No!" as Nada stood up with her tray and pack, ready to relocate. The girl turned her head back towards Erwine for a brief look, her eyebrows raised in a silent question, wondering what Erwine had to say now.

"You don't like this, do you?" Erwine asked, "You want me to agree with you,"

"Yes," Nada replied. She was not annoyed at this rhetorical question. Instead, she spoke in a monotone. A low monotone. A sad monotone.

"Why?"

"Because I care about my best friend, and I know that if I let her be a fool, she'll waste the opportunity to have a good life," Nada said, "Look around, do you really want to be in this kind of from _now until the moment you die_?" Nada emphasized the last words, making sure to hammer in the time Erwine would have to spend in these slums.

"No," Erwine admitted, "But I also don't want this all to change,"

"Then make a choice!" Nada screamed, throwing her tray down on the table, "It's not just you, it's me, your parents, my parents, all of us!"

Erwine scooted her chair back away, cowed by the sudden outburst. She only cried harder because of it. Most of her mind expected Nada to suddenly apologize for what she said, and then somehow make it up to Erwine.

Instead, Nada stared right into Erwine's eyes, fixing her with a glare that could stare down daemons. "If you have potential, then make the contract," she said, in a voice that threatened Erwine so much that the girl was left shuddering in her seat for a full minute after her friend left, leaving her messy tray behind her.

Erwine watched her go, and slowly, but surely, shrunk back from all the eyes that were now turned to her. Not knowing what to do, the little girl went back to eating her food in silence.

* * *

><p>Lunch had ended five minutes ago. Erwine had quickly moved through the halls to reach the classroom where she was supposed to be. All girls of her age had been assigned the classroom where they would go, to be taught by a specially trained teacher.<p>

Erwine was one of the first to arrive, having rushed all the way from the cafeteria, knowing, thinking, that everyone had been staring at her and talking about in the aftermath of the incident between her and Nada.

Erwine took a few seconds to catch her breath as she found a seat that was closest to the back. Sitting down, she leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling. She focused on a single point, and watched as the world spun around the small imperfection in the ceiling that she had observed.

It helped her take her mind off the fact that someone she knew might have seen what happened, and that they might be coming to this room. That would be disastrous. Erwine could not imagine having to then talk to them as they sat next to her. She could only hope that they would know her well enough to not bother her.

Minutes passed, and by the time the bells rang to indicate the beginning of the next period, the classroom was full. Thirty students now sat in the room. Erwine had spent most of the time staring up at the ceiling, and only when she heard the teacher begin to move did she look down, knowing she concentrated better when looking at what she needed to focus on.

However, the first words of the teacher's lecture were completely lost to her, as she looked down and saw someone who she did not want to see. Nada was in one of the front rows. Erwine was unsure of whether or not she had been noticed by her friend, but she instinctively shrunk back, trying to reduce her presence.

"…few months ago at the most," the teacher, who Erwine did not know, finished saying something about how everyone listening to her had turned thirteen. "And that is why you are now here,"

The teacher seemed a bit concerned. She was not used to doing this, that was obvious, but she was able to do it. And she knew what she was doing, that was obvious as well. However, she seemed more concerned about some of the people she saw in the room. Erwine noticed her looking at various people, herself included, in the pause between what she had been saying, and her new sentence.

"My job is to instruct you on how to contract, something that many girls do not truly understand. Many of you function based on only rumors that are untrue, and that must be stopped as soon as possible, before one of you makes a mistake that you will come to regret more than any other mistake."

Erwine was paying attention to the teacher, which was for certain. She understood little about the intricacies of contracting, but she knew that there were dangers. Dangers that a meek girl like her wished to avoid at all costs. Erwine turned her full focus on the teacher, not wanting to miss a single word she said.

"First of all, there is the contract itself. Many girls do not entirely understand what this is, and that is why I am here to enlighten all of you. A contract, as defined by the Encyclopedia Magica is: 'The process through which a human female teenager becomes a magical girl. Only an Incubator is capable of offering a contract. The Incubator, and by extension the Goddess, will grant the female one wish, and in exchange, the female will become a magical girl, and eternally serve the Goddess and Her Imperium.'"

The teacher had clearly memorized this quote well, as she did not hesitate in the speaking of it. "I am sure some of you are questioning some of the words within that description, so I shall explain."

"An Incubator is a manifestation of the Goddess's will, a small, white creature which offers a contract. The Goddess brought magic into the universe when she was born, so only she has the power to grant magic to another being. But from her throne on Holy Terra, she cannot reach everyone everywhere, so she created the Incubators to do her bidding for her. If you see a small, white creature, with long ears, and a fluffy tail, then do not fear it, nor destroy it. While this is appropriate behavior with any other alien species, the Incubators are vital to the existence of humanity."

"They shall only approach you if you have potential. Potential, as some of you may know, is the measure of one's power as a magical girl. Having potential, any at all, means you are eligible to make a contract. The process of making a contract is not a complex one. You will have to make a wish for something that _only you _want."

The teacher paused. What she was going to say next was incredibly important, so she had to let her words sink in. She even repeated her last sentence, just to prepare the girls in the room for what she was going to say next.

"You cannot wish for something that will in any way directly affect another person. You can only directly affect yourself with the wish. You cannot simply wish for all the sadness to go away, or for there to be peace everywhere. These wishes directly affect other people, so they cannot be made."

"And what, you ask, are the consequences of making such a wish? The consequences are unknown. The repercussions that could occur from such a massive wish could result in the death of the entire human race. Even if you wish for your friend's broken arm to be healed, you could end up dead, as well as all your friends."

The teacher paused once more, and Erwine's eyes widened. Her eyes were not the only eyes in the room to widen, and her mouth was not the only one to drop in shock. There was a sudden sense of unease in the room, as none of the girls wanted to hear that their wishes, the wishes that were supposed to bring happiness, could also bring harm.

"This does not meant that making a wish is bad. In fact, contracting is something you should do, as soon as you have the chance. Being girls in this kind of a place should certainly inspire you to achieve great things as a magical girl. You should all have a wish prepared to be said at any time or any place. You cannot hesitate."

"The stories about potential sometimes disappearing overnight are true. You may go to sleep scared and uncertain, and wake up with no other option in your life but to stay on the path you have always been on." The teacher had a threatening tone which enhanced the fear her words were supposed to convey.

Erwine felt this threat, and she realized that Nada had to be correct in what she said. She cursed herself for ever doubting the thoughts of her friend. She didn't think that a coward would somehow be correct anyways.

"However, there are some things to look forwards to," the teacher said, "Such as the prestigious organization you will join when you contract. The mage knights are always looking for new members, and I am sure that the next company to stop by this subsector shall make certain to collect all potential candidates."

A girl's hand went up. Her hand was followed by several others. The teacher called on the first hand to raise. "Does the Inquisition actually exist?" the girl asked. Erwine had heard stories about the supposed Inquisition.

Apparently, it was the secret police of the Imperium. It sought heretics within the imperium, and hunted them down ruthlessly. It was mostly magical girls, as opposed to the all human Adeptus Arbites. However, the key was that it did not actually exist.

"No, the inquisition is nothing more than a fairy tale invented to scare children and adults who think of stepping out of line. The Mage Knights handle all matters when it comes to magical girls." All the hands in the room went down. Erwine had no questions to ask.

The teacher continued to speak, but it was on trivial matters, like specific examples of good wishes, and the specific exploits of various magical girls, which had supposedly come from this planet. It was all propaganda, but Erwine did not realize this, so she was still interested.

She continued to stare at the teacher in front of her, as well as the things the teacher wrote on the blackboard, and held up to show the class. That is, until a note made its way back to Erwine.

It was passed by various people, but it had been handed out originally by only one person. Erwine unfolded the paper and recognized the handwriting of her best friend.

_Hey, I'm really sorry for the way I acted earlier. I can't imagine you're feeling too great after this lecture, so how about we talk like intelligent people on the way home? I didn't mean to get as angry as I did. I didn't even mean to get angry at all. _

The note ended there, but it was enough to make Erwine happy. A warm feeling was suddenly in her chest, and she looked up to see that Nada was doing well in concealing her writing of the note. She was looking ahead dutifully, and Erwine immediately went back to doing that.

The other girls around her glanced at each other, wondering what was on the note, but Erwine concealed it from them, and continued to listen to the teacher speak.

All of a sudden, she was a lot happier. She had been happier at times, but this day was certainly a special one. For some reason, the defeats Erwine had suffered in the past few hours were gone, and all that was left was a sense of hope for a brighter future.

The bell ran loudly, and classes were over for the day. Erwine had spent most of the last hour being bored by the presentation the teacher was giving, but she now looked forwards to being able to talk with her friend.

Erwine stood from her seat, and waited for the rest of the room to depart before she even tried to start moving. Nada was leaning against the wall at the front of the room, and she was the last person in the room besides Erwine. Even the teacher had left.

Erwine walked through the maze of desks and chairs, to stand in front of Nada. She held herself straight, but still shuddered a little as she looked at her friend. Nada smiled, "I'm sorry," she said, "I know that I've said that already today, but I hope that I can actually follow it up this time,"

"It's not your fault," Erwine blurted out. It was sudden, but it was not loud. She simply interrupted what Nada was going to say next with those four words, and she continued to speak. "I was being stubborn because I was scared, and I still am scared. But what was just said…I can't hold back anymore. Not if it's for the better of everyone around me."

Nada frowned, "Don't feel like that," she said, "There's nothing wrong with being scared, especially in this situation."

"Yes there is," Erwine insisted, "To be scared of contracting is to be unwilling to serve the Goddess. That is what I am right now. You understand that? If I have potential, then to turn down the opportunity is to disrespect not only my friends and family, but also the Goddess!"

Nada could not argue with this. She had known this, and it had been the trump card she had intended to use at some point before, but her anger had gotten the better of her in every case. She could not contradict Erwine here, as the girl spoke the absolute truth, a truth that few girls were willing to except, and something told Nada that Erwine only used this fact as an excuse to beat herself up. She doubted the girl could actually accept that she was effectively obligated to make a contract if given a chance.

"Then make the contract when you have the chance," Nada said, "Just do it, and don't worry about what will happen next."

"Why?" Erwine said, "How am I supposed to live only in the moment, and not consider the past or the future?"

"Just push those thoughts aside!" Nada exclaimed happily, grabbing Erwine by the shoulders, "You have the power, just don't worry anymore!"

Erwine shook her head. She was not refusing to accept that she could do this, nor was she saying that it was impossible for her to do this. Rather, she was refusing to even try. Not because she was scared of the process, but because she was scared of the outcome. "I cannot just live in the present," Erwine said, "Being a coward is bad enough when you have all your senses, but imagine being scared of everything, but being blind at the same time."

The idea did scare Nada. The girl was forced to reconsider Erwine's case, truly thinking about what she knew about her friend. She was far too scared to actually just put her thoughts of the future aside, and live in the present. "Then take a chance for once," Nada said, her voice as inspiring as she could make it, "Take a chance, see if you can succeed at something seemingly impossible."

"I'm scared," Erwine said, tears at the edge of her eyes, "I can't do this."

"Yes you can!" Nada exclaimed, but her encouraging demeanor died out as she realized she had no evidence to back her case with.

"I can't," Erwine replied, but she changed as she saw Nada start to look sad once again.

Nada broke down. She slid down the wall, covering her face with her hands as she suppressed tears. Erwine stepped back, immediately knowing that it was her behavior which had led to Nada's behavior. Nada sat with her back to the wall, her knees to her chest, and her hands on her face, shuddering as she held back a waterfall of tears.

"I just want one of us to be a hero," Nada whispered, her words barely audible. "I just want one of us to contract, and get out of here. Whether it's you or me, I don't care."

"That's why you want us to agree to contract immediately," Erwine said, "Because you're afraid you'll lose your chance, when you're completely ready to go right now,"

Nada nodded slightly. Slightly so that Erwine had to think about whether Nada actually nodded or not. "I just want to be a hero," the young girl on the ground whispered, "I don't want to be here anymore,"

Erwine knelt down in front of Nada. She removed the girl's hands from her face. Smiling, she said, "Then why do you keep acting so sad?"

"Because I'm too good of a person to not respect your wishes," Nada explained, "So I will wait to contract if I have the chance,"

"That's not my wish anymore," Erwine explained. She was doing something she was not exactly looking forwards to doing, but she did it anyways, knowing that to not do it would be terrible. _I am too scared to contract, so I'll give Nada the chance. There's no way the Goddess would choose a weak little girl like me anyways. _

Nada's face brightened suddenly. She practically lit up with excitement as Erwine said, "I didn't understand you at all before. So I say that from now on, we'll take the first chance to contract. Even if an Incubator came to me today, then I'd contract, because that's the promise I make to you now."

Nada asked, "Really?" she could not believe this.

Erwine nodded, grasping both of Nada's hands. "Really," she said, "I promise. I swear on my life, and on the Goddess."

Nada smiled brightly, "Thank you!" she exclaimed, excitedly embracing Erwine. The hug was short, but both girls were much happier when they finally stood up after it. "It's been a while since classes ended," Erwine said, "We should get moving,"

Nada nodded, and the two girls walked out of the classroom together. Each held the hand of the other, and a new confidence was displayed on both of their faces as they walked down the halls to reach the front doors after a few minutes.

Outside, they saw their friends waiting for them. Erwine and Nada were surprised that all three had waited for their friends. Natalya, Renata, and Matile stood in various positions at the bottom of the steps leading up to the doors of the scholam.

Natalya spoke first, "Good afternoon," she said, and her words were echoed by Renata and Matile. They were showing displeasure with this casual greeting, which was fairly obvious to Erwine and Nada.

"I imagine you two…talked things out?" Renata asked.

"Are you implying something?" Erwine asked, a grin on her face, and her tone one of playfulness.

"Yes," Matile said.

"Don't make me talk about you two," Nada said, before turning to Erwine, "You see, there's this rumor that's been going around…"

"Shut up!" Natalya said, her interruption silencing both Nada and Renata, the latter of which was preparing a harsh retort, "Let's talk about the more pressing matter, how about that?" suggested the girl.

The four other girls nodded. Erwine started the conversation, saying, "I have told Nada that I will contract at the first opportunity." She looked at Natalya, knowing her to be the only other source of opposition in the morning.

Natalya nodded, "I have agreed to that as well," she said. The five girls looked at one another, a sense of relief rising up from seemingly nowhere as the muscles of each girl relaxed, and the five started to laugh at how they had treated each other on this day. It had been embarrassing, the fact that they had spent so much time getting angry with each other, when they had been best friends for years.

Their laughter lasted for a full minute, and in this time they all fell to the ground, their muscles weakened by their mad laughter, and gravity's effects enhanced by their heavy packs. Erwine fell onto her back, stretching out across multiple steps, looking up at the cloudy sky. The day had brought some new snow, but it had stopped for now.

The freezing wind of the morning was gone, only increasing the sense of happiness the five girls felt, as they did not have to shiver every five seconds in order to maintain a barely appropriate temperature. Erwine felt the cold snow on her back, and relished the cold sensation. She had always preferred the cold to heat in any situation, except when there was a biting wind as there had been that morning.

In this kind of cold, Erwine was right at home. She laid back on the snow, even though the stone steps she lay on did hurt her back a little. The other girls were in the same positions Erwine was in, just staring up at the cloudy sky, the relief from finally coming to a consensus after what had seemed like years overwhelming all other concerns related to contracting.

Erwine wished that she could have just lay back on the snow forever. She would later wish that she had chosen to do that on this day. However, the five young girls had to get home. They had nothing to do, and were not expected back, but it was not the best idea to be outside in this area when no one was around, and it had been thirty minutes since classes had ended. Most of the people there had already returned home.

Natalya was the first to stand, and this triggered the other girls to stand as well. They all said goodbye to each other, as they did every day they saw each other, before heading home in their separate directions.

However, Erwine was reminded of something she had to ask Natalya about. It was unimportant, a simple question about another person that was not going to be too important in anyone's lives. But she had to ask it.

"Nada, I need to go ask Natalya something, you can go along without me," Erwine said, before turning around quickly.

"I can wait, are you sure that you'll be fine?" Nada asked, but Erwine simply nodded, before sprinting off. Nada shook her head, chuckled and kept on walking. She figured it was probably something about some boy. All she wanted to do was be content with how quickly her problem had been resolved.

* * *

><p>Hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the floating rock in space that had been given the name of Siothea by those who first landed there tens of thousands of years before floated another object. However, this object was not held into a single path by the gravity of a larger object.<p>

This object was cruising its way through the void of space towards the floating rock that it was pointed towards. It flew at tens of thousands of kilometers per hour, so that it would reach its destination within a few hours more.

This object was nothing like the rock it approached. The rock was made of many, many different elements, while the free-moving one was made of metal, designed to travel through the depths of space without the protection of an atmosphere.

This ship had emerged only a couple of hours before from the standard form of faster-than-light travel, pulling itself out of the depths of the hellish dimension known as the warp.

Planets certainly could not undertake such a journey, but the ship could only do so because of its quite small size. The population of this three-kilometer long merchant ship was only a few thousand, nothing compared to the billions and billions living on Siothea in the great hives.

However, the importance of the individuals it carried was also of great significance. One of these individuals was far more important than anyone else on the planet Siothea. Another four individuals were also incredibly important, more so than 99% of Siothea's population.

One might initially believe that these individuals are high-ranking members of some Imperial organization, perhaps the Imperial Guard, the Navy, the Administratum, the Ecclesiarchy, the list of potential candidates does indeed go on. However, these individuals were not part of any of those.

The merchant vessel carried five members of Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition, including an inquisitor. That is what made it far more important than any other ship in the entire system at the moment.

However, despite the importance and power of these individuals, they still faced some common issues…

The buzzing of an alarm clock woke the sleeping girl. Her dream had had something to do with cake. _Cake? _The girl thought immediately, as her hand shot out with complete accuracy to strike the 'off' button on the clock, _I don't usually dream about cake. Do I even like cake? When was the last time I ate any? _

The girl sat up quickly, swinging her legs off the bed and looking down at her body. She had removed some of her clothes to sleep. Without a single movement, a new set appeared on her form. Her mind was not in the physical world, however. It was more focused on what she had to do today.

_Siothea, _she thought, _that's where I am. _Her mind continued to recite the full report she had assembled on why she was in this system at this time. It was not as if she had anyone to report to, she just liked to make reports to help organize her own thoughts. Plus, she sometimes did have to justify those things to the various people who did not like her.

The girl walked away from the bed, pushing a door open to entire a small bathroom. She looked in the mirror, and without a thought, her hair was done and tied in the ponytail she liked. It just ran straight down her back, gathering her slight-longer-than-shoulder-length hair into one bunch.

She walked to the door, checking and seeing that her normal clothes were where she had left them on the couch near the bookshelves. She picked up the red greatcoat she liked to wear, fitting it over herself and letting the two sides of it hang apart from each other. She also put on a wide-brimmed completely red hat.

She liked the red. It was crimson. She liked crimson the most out of all the shades of red. The greatcoat and hat were by no means an official uniform for her post, in fact, an official uniform, nor even an unofficial standard one. One could not enforce such rules when magical girls were involved.

Adrianne once again looked over herself, making sure that she was ready to exit the room. It had only taken her about three minutes to get up and get ready, but she knew that she could cut down that time. _Not that there's much to do on a ship that's hours from a planet. _

The inquisitor was about to step out the door into the corridor beyond, but something stopped her. She turned her head, and checked behind her. There was something in the room behind her that was not meant to be there.

_Incubator, _the inquisitor thought, but if it's not showing itself, then there's no point looking for it now. So she opened the door and strode out, briefly glancing at the door across from hers before turning and walking down the hall.

Many children, as well as many adults, had the impression that all starships were tight blocks of metal, featuring tiny, cramped hallways that could barely fit two people side by side.

They were correct, in most cases. But with a merchant ship such as this one, which was commanded by a rogue trader, then there was some opportunity to increase the size of some areas, allowing for better conditions.

As a sign of courtesy to his guests, who were responsible for this success, the commander of this ship had specifically made sure to expand the size of their quarters. Adrianne did not exactly like being treated specially, but she accepted the kindness.

The ship she walked through was three kilometers long, so it was going to take a bit of time to make it from her quarters to the command sanctum in the middle of the vessel.

Adrianne did not think of much on her journey from her room. The things she did think of were trivial, not too important for her. Simple thoughts the things around her, as she observed the ship as she walked through it. For some reason, she was still interested, despite having used this ship for transport for the past five years.

_At some point, I'll have to get tired of it, _Adrianne said, then chuckled, _well, if I ever do, then that's the die I go to die._ She turned a corner, moving into the part of the ship that she knew that she could never get tired of.

A long hallway stretched out before her, with two large doors at the end. The hallway was carpeted, as opposed to the barren corridors before it, and the walls were decorated with ornate carvings.

Such a use of space was only allowed due to the function of the vessel, and the fact that a rogue trader had plenty of extra money to spend when they had an inquisitor at their back. Captains and ship architects alike would be horrified at the sight of this fanciful corridor, being a massive waste of space.

However, Adrianne liked it. It made the final walk to the bridge always interesting. The red carpet had a yellow border to it, and the material used to make the carpet was very expensive and fine, not even synthetic in the slightest. The carpet stretched the ten feet from one wall to the other, and served to underline the beauty of the walls.

Carved into the walls was ten thousand years of Imperial history, or at least the major events in the last ten thousand years. The hall was actually lined with large stone slabs, which skilled artists were commissioned to create pictures in, as history unfolded.

The stone was incredibly expensive, being of the highest possible quality. It had cost the captain and Adrianne a large fortune to procure it all, but it seemed to be worth it. The ability to see the history of the greatest empire of all time carved into the stone of a single hallway was quite breathtaking for Adrianne.

The beginning of the hallway featured the beginning of the Great Crusade in the 21st Millennium, and continued onwards from that point.

Next were depictions of the various primarchs of the Mage Knights, but only nine of them. The other nine were not shown on these two walls, being the traitors who had caused the Heresy. That is what was shown next, and the ensuing battle between the Goddess and the Archtraitor was next.

After that, there were large time skips, as much of the history of the Imperium was lost in the years followed the Heresy. Around the 27th Millennium, the narrative picked up once again, displaying the major events of that time, and then continued to the present day.

More recent images showed the history of the ship Adrianne walked on. The captain had declared that once he ran out of space to carve his greatest exploits into, then that would be the end of his career. _That's not even close to being true, _Adrianne thought, _he'll keep going long after he's run out of room. _

She paused as she was a few meters from the doors, simply to gaze back at the hallway. The intricacy and detail of the carvings truly gave her the impression she was traveling through time to gaze at various moments in the history of the Imperium.

It almost made her depressed, in a way, that she was only a single dot in ten thousand years of bloody conflict. But it also brought a smile to her face, as if it was a challenge from the universe itself to be an extraordinary person.

_Doing such a thing is not exactly easy, _Adrianne thought, _not when you live in an empire built on the blood and tears of little girls._

* * *

><p>Erwine was delayed. Nada made it home first. She was not with Erwine when the girl would walk up the stairs of her habcomplex. The stairs were not interesting, and Erwine was looking forwards to getting some rest.<p>

She rounded a corner, and stopped. She felt another presence. She had no real way of knowing if someone else was actually there, but her gut told her someone was behind her.

She slowly turned her head. No…it was _something_. Erwine spun her entire body around. Every movement, her expression, her gasp, they all expressed complete and total horror.

* * *

><p>The Goddess: The Goddess is the supreme ruler of the Imperium and mankind, creator of magic, and the creator of hope in the world. She sits on the Golden Throne of Holy Terra, issuing her orders to her many servants. Her word is absolute and final, only she knows all. She has ruled the Imperium for ten thousand years, and will continue to do so until the end of time itself, should that event somehow come...<p>

-Excerpt from the _Encyclopedia Magica _

Inquisition: The Inquisition is a fictional entity, created purely for the purpose of scaring children and adults alike. Supposedly, it is an all-magical girl investigative force which uses ruthless and inhumane methods to pursue criminals. However, these rumors simply evolved from tales of the more effective Arbites units, and there is no reason to be afraid of some magical girl breaking into your house and torturing you to death. Her Holy Majesty would never allow such behavior from any of her servants.

-Excerpt from the _Encyclopedia Magica. _

* * *

><p><strong> I hope the first chapter was at least interesting. I'll be updating the story weekly, as I have plenty of it already written, but expect several chapters to be posted over the next couple weeks. I have plenty of time to edit due to the holidays, so a normal schedule should come about after the holidays. <strong>


	2. Out of the Dream, Into Reality

**I wanted to address a possible concern, and that would be the dates of this story. The story does take place in the 31st Millennium, not the 41st. There is a reason, and that reason will be explained, but know that I'm not stupid, I know what I'm doing, and the time is meant to be that way. I figure somebody is wondering, so I wanted to clear things up. **

**This chapter is way shorter than the last one. I was unhappy with how long the first chapter was, but I wasn't really sure what to do even though there were things i could have done now that I think about it. **

* * *

><p>It is worth noting that children have a tendency to be afraid of contracting. There is no need for them to worry, and this must be hammered into them. They believe that they will be slain on some far-off world, with no one remembering them, but all magical girls are heroes, even those who die in their first battle. Anyone who gives their life for the Goddess is worthy of great praise.<p>

There is nothing to fear, that is what must be said to them. Explain the exploits of the greatest magical girls, and reinforce that there are more heroes than villains. Take care to never mention the Enemy to them, do not let them know that some magical girls turn away from the Goddess's light. That is something they can learn in the future.

Take special care to not mention any part of the contracting process, nor let them hear even a few words about any silly theories about contracting, like the idea that an Incubator steals one's soul. It is silly and completely ridiculous. Why would the Goddess ever allow such a thing to be done to millions of little girls?

-Excerpt from _Raising an Angel_

* * *

><p>Erwine turned around. Sitting on the landing behind her was a small, white creature. Some part of her mind had been refusing to accept that there was even the slightest chance of something actually being there.<p>

That part of her mind had told her that she was imagining things, and saying that her paranoid mind was taking things to the worst extreme. Yet that part of her mind was now disproved.

Erwine felt as though she was waking from a happy dream, only to find that her life was actually a nightmare.

The creature stared up at Erwine's face. It showed no emotion on its face, and did not move in any way, not even to breath. Erwine stared into the pink eyes of the creature, and it stared back, with its fuzzy tail swishing back and forth.

Erwine felt her body lose all energy, as fear began to take over her mind. There was a strong sense to simply turn and run. Erwine knew that would be breaking her agreement with Nada. And so, her bonds of friendship were tested against the strength of her fear.

"Hello," the creature, the Incubator, said. Its voice was monotone, and conveyed no emotions. It was impossible for Erwine to tell what it was thinking, if it was thinking at all. "Erwine Braune," it added her name like it was unimportant, as if the only thing that mattered was what Erwine could do.

Erwine had no response. Her entire body was shaking, so hard that she fell to her knees. She continued to stare into the eyes of the Incubator, which stared back at her with the same blank face. "You understand why I am here?" it asked. Erwine knew that it knew the answer to that question.

Yet she still nodded. The nod was slight, apparent only to the most observant, but the Incubator's question had been rhetorical. The creature required no answer. "Have you a wish to make?" the creature asked. This question did need an answer.

Erwine wanted to shake her head. She wanted to deny the creature. But she knew that she could not. She had a wish to make. The question was not if she had one. The question was whether or not she would make it.

The Incubator seemed to understand this. Erwine did not know how, but it did. Perhaps it observed her and made this prediction. Perhaps it speaking again was a gambit on its part. Erwine did not know. She would never know. Did it really matter, in the end?

"Are you willing to make this wish?" the Incubator asked. Erwine continued to kneel in front of the creature, unwilling to make any movement or sound which would even provide the slightest hint towards her position.

She could not contract. She could not break her agreement with Nada. It should have been clear to Erwine. It should have been easy to see that she could contract now, as she had a wish. All she lacked was the strength.

"I can't have potential!" she screamed, choosing a different path. Denying the inevitable was something Erwine had found herself to be quite good at. She accepted that some things were inevitable, and that was the key to being able to deny those things.

"You do," the Incubator said, ignoring Erwine's screaming.

"I can't," Erwine said, beginning to repeat those two words over and over again. She continued to do this as the Incubator just stared at her. It did not care what it had to go through. It had a duty that was far too important to walk away from, and the tortured cries of a little girl were not going to make it stop.

"You can," the Incubator said, "And you do indeed have potential. Accept this fact, Erwine Braune."

Erwine pulled her hands away from her face where she had previously held them. She stared with eyes filled with fury at the white creature in front of her. Her fingers curled to form fists. Erwine barely contained her rage, the only thing stopping her from beating this creature to death was the fact that it was a manifestation of the Goddess herself.

And by even thinking of refusing it, Erwine was committing heresy. She realized this, and blinked several times, trying to clear the tears from her eyes. She saw that the Incubator was gone. It could not be.

"No," Erwine said aloud, "Where did it go?! Where did it go?!" She had just committed a crime more terrible than many, many other crimes. And although she would not, she could not, be punished for this by anyone else, she would punish herself for it.

The power of one's own mind to make one suffer is usually a thousand times greater than any other punishment another person can give. Erwine knew this better than most girls her age.

"No, it can't have gone…" she whispered, falling forwards onto her stomach. She lay there, defeated by an enemy who had done nothing but asked her a few questions after saying hello.

Her pack still weighed down on her back, but Erwine did not care. She cried softly, wondering if anyone would find her like this. Someone was coming down the stairs behind her. Erwine considered rolling over, then realized she didn't really feel like it. She didn't have the energy, and the motivation to continue was not in her after her inability to contract.

"Erwine?" a concerned voice asked. It was the voice of a young girl, coming from the stairs leading upwards. Erwine recognized the voice instantly. Nada. There was suddenly more motivation to roll over. More motivation to roll over, stand up, and run down the stairs, out of the building, and go anywhere but where Nada, the friend who Erwine had just betrayed, was.

However, Erwine would not do that. She had failed, and now she would face the friend who she had failed. Running would not come close to solving any of her problems. She did not even roll over, so Nada knelt down next to her, laying a hand on Erwine's shoulder. "Erwine, are you alright?" she asked.

A silly question to ask, that was for certain, but Nada knew not what else to ask. Erwine was clearly not alright, but Nada was unsure of what other words she could use to ask the question that she needed an answer. However, when she did not receive an answer, Nada spoke another question, "What happened?" Her voice was more concerned now, true fear was starting to rear its ugly head inside her mind.

Erwine had finally gathered the strength to formulate an actual response to the question. "An Incubator came," she whispered softly, still lying on her stomach.

Nothing more needed to be said. Nada looked at Erwine's hand. There was no ring, no sign of the tattoo that a magical girl would bear. She looked all around, looking for a gem. There was nothing. No sign that Erwine had contracted. There was only one option, then.

Nada froze, as the realization came to her. She had trouble accepting for a second, but when she did, a wave of anger washed over her, changing her demeanor completely in a split second.

She gritted her teeth hard, and her hands clenched into fists, as she began to shake. Her breathing started to be slow and steady, as compared to the panicked breathing before. "Did you really refuse the Incubator?" Nada asked.

"Yes," Erwine said. There was no point lying, or trying to explain herself. Nada knew everything that there was to know, and that of course included the fact that she knew that Erwine had agreed to contract the first opportunity she got.

"I'm sorry," Erwine said, knowing that there was nothing more to say after that. She knew in an instant that Nada's anger would follow. How long that would last could not be predicted, nor what would happen afterwards. Erwine wondered if that really mattered.

"I know that you are," Nada said. Such words were pointless. Erwine wondered if Nada would actually attack her. It seemed likely, at this point. But the girl was displaying hesitation.

Erwine was willing to accept whatever, as she understood that she had done many things wrong. Nada stood up. Her entire body was trembling. Erwine, whose head was turned towards Nada from where she lay on the ground, saw that Nada was still shaking with rage.

"I hate you," Nada said. The words were lacking much emotion. They were more a statement of a fact, rather than an angered declaration.

Erwine knew that already, so she did not bother to reply. "I could show my anger in some other way than this," Nada said, "But I don't want to hurt you, I know that you're aware of what you've done."

The girl turned towards the stairs leading upwards. "If you ever want me to have a single ounce of respect for you ever again, then you will contract when the Incubator comes again. If you do not, or you lose the potential, then you can consider our friendship over." Once again, the girl was simply stating a fact.

She walked up the stairs, and was gone in a few seconds, her footsteps still echoing through the empty halls. Erwine slowly stood up. Moisture still escaped her eyes. She turned around, facing at the stairs that Nada had just walked up. Having nowhere else to go, Erwine walked up those stairs.

She wondered why it had to be her who was shouldering this burden, out of all the people she knew.

* * *

><p>Adrianne Azure looked towards the large doors at the end of the corridor. They loomed over the carpet in front of them, and featured the heraldry of the captain within them, as well as the name of his ship. Adrianne waited for her form to be recognized by the cameras watching the outside of the door.<p>

She heard a faint rumbling sound, and knew that access had been granted. She started to count to three. When she reached the end of those three seconds, the doors were still only halfway open. This was mainly due to their large size and density. They were partially made out of dense stone, and the mechanisms used to open them could sue some upgrades.

However, the captain of the ship continually promised Adrianne that he would get the time down to three seconds. Three seconds exactly. The inquisitor knew she would reach ten before they opened fully.

The thickness and weight of the doors were certainly detrimental to any boarders, and therefore useful to the defenders of the ship, but they were also annoying in most situations. And every time the captain had made some big deal, he always promised the doors would be upgraded, yet Adrianne never found this to be the case, instead finding that some other part of the ship had been enhanced, even just aesthetically, but never the doors.

She could not blame him. But she could blame him. _Although I'm not even sure he can get the time down to three seconds unless he gets the Fabricator-General himself out here. Or is it a 'she' these days? _

The doors were open all the way, and Adrianne strode through to look at the sanctum beyond. Within the middle of the space sat a large throne, surrounded by rings of trenches and walkways, all filled with consoles at which sat either humans or part-robotic servitors.

A large globe was being projected into the air in front of the large, gold-colored throne, showing the system the ship was currently in. Adrianne walked forwards, moving through the chaos of the sanctum towards the throne, taking the walkway straight to the spot from the doors.

The walk to the throne was a ten meter one. The room was massive, being responsible for the control of most of the functions of the starship. The room was filled with over a hundred people, and should have been loud. However, there was a silence to the chaos of the area, given that most people already knew their jobs, and just had to carry them out.

Adrianne walked up beside the throne, walking up the few steps that led to the raised platform it was on. She looked ahead at the globe for a few seconds, before turning her head to her left, to look at the captain of the vessel.

"Hello," he said, "How are you today?"

Adrianne shrugged, "As good as an inquisitor can be," she replied, "How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine," rogue trader Maximilian Bolton replied, his voice sounding mostly distant. It was true that his mind was currently connected to the communications and control network of his ship, so he had plenty to do besides talk to the little girl next to him.

Yet he did it anyways. It was polite, and she was the only reason he was where he was at the moment, which was quite important. "That's very good," Adrianne said, before asking, "How long till orbit?"

"About two hours," Bolton said, "Give or take ten minutes. You can have seconds if you want."

"Come on, Bolton," Adrianne chuckled, "You're making me jealous,"

"Says the girl who can split her mind into one hundred pieces _without _being hooked up to a three-kilometer long piece of metal," Bolton said.

"I never said you were better, I was just saying that I wish I cared as much about seconds as you do," Adrianne was lying through her teeth for the sake of conversation. She had little to do, and Bolton had little to do as well, so the two were content to waste time.

"Yes, you will live forever," Bolton said, before muttering under his breath," Lucky bastard…"

"Excuse me?" Adrianne asked, "Wouldn't you like to ask one of the primarchs what living for ten thousand years is like?"

"I would, in fact, but all of them would kill me," Bolton replied, before adding, "In an extremely painful way, before feeding my soul to their gods."

"Fair enough," Adrianne said, "But you never know when Tomoe will miraculously recover from the event horizon,"

"And that's the day when the Goddess gets up from the Throne, dances her way through space out here, and personally commends me on my faithful service, right?" Bolton asked.

"Exactly," Adrianne said, before adding with a smile, "You better not let anyone else hear you say that, the Lifewardens can get touchy about their primarch."

"Yes, because…who's the latest hotshot over in the Lifewardens?" the rogue trader asked, wondering about the legion which had once been commanded by the primarch who was only seconds from death, now saved by a stasis field.

"I have no idea," Adrianne said, "I'm not up to date on the reports from them, not that they matter much anyways."

"They're at least interesting, hearing the latest tales from the greatest glory-hogs in the history of the universe," Bolton rolled his eyes, using one of the more common insults against the Lifewardens.

"Hey, they're a good chapter," Adrianne said, "They just have good public relations. We all know chapters like the Wolves and the Angels have done just as much, it's only their exteriors that put people off,"

"Of course," Bolton said. He was a subscriber to the more commonly held beliefs about the major chapters, while Adrianne considered the reports she received to be the truth. The Mage Knights had no reason to lie to the Inquisition. Both organizations were almost entirely magical girls, after all.

"Are we going to spend the next two hours debating the deservedness of a chapter's reputation, or should I get on with my job?" Adrianne asked.

"You're the one who's been standing here," Bolton pointed out, "You like talking to this old man," It was true that Bolton had nine years on Adrianne's forty-three, but he knew that he would be in the grave before Adrianne even came close to showing any signs of being old.

"Well, it's not like I have much else to do," Adrianne said, "We have two hours, I've read the entire library of the ship twice over now, and everyone is probably occupied with something."

"Are you sure?" Bolton asked, "You could at least tell them when we'll get to orbit,"

_Everyone, _Adrianne used her telepathy, projecting to the other three magical girls on the ship with her, _orbit in two hours, be ready by then. _

_Affirmative, _answered Airi Koizumi, technically Adrianne's second-in-command, although she had yet to be officially declared an interrogator, and also a teleporter. Her voice was clear yet distant, as if she was focused on something else.

_Understood, _the voice of Laelia Aemilina, the shield generator, was more focused on replying to Adrianne, and was just as clear and concise as Airi's.

_Got it! _Ayelen Nita, who was classified under the healer type, cheered. Her voice was excited, and Adrianne could almost hear the groaning of Laelia at the girl's carefree attitude.

"Done," Adrianne said. A single second had passed, and everyone Adrianne needed to tell now knew of what she needed to say. Bolton sighed, "I wish I had telepathy, faster than everything,"

"Even light," Adrianne agreed. No one really knew how it worked, but magic, when being used for telepathy or something related to it, did travel faster than the speed of light. Millions of times faster, in fact. It effectively established an instantaneous connection with whoever the telepathic action was directed at, no matter the distance. Only significant warp energy could disrupt it, which was the reason why interstellar communication was still sometimes hindered, due to warp storms.

The inquisitor stood next to Bolton for a few minutes, before she turned around. "I'll be going now," she said, starting to walk.

_I haven't told him to do that, have I? _Adrianne thought, thinking of something she had to do. She waited for the doors to open, and then as soon as she heard the sound of Bolton faintly sighing in relief, she called back, "Three seconds!"

The inquisitor was out of the range of Bolton's voice when he replied, as the noises of the command sanctum drowned out his reply. Adrianne smiled as she made her wall down the hall, then noticed something in her way, and her smile disappeared in a split second.

* * *

><p>Erwine was sitting in darkness. She had been doing so for a few hours now. Her stomach was growling angrily, as if it was an angered beast fighting for its life. However, Erwine was not really fighting for her life. She was simply fighting to find some light in the events of the day.<p>

Even the previously fond thought of being able to resolve an issue that sometimes tore apart friendships was gone, replaced only by the shame Erwine felt. She had considered many things she could do in the past few hours, but they had all been dropped, mainly due to Erwine's inability to do anything that scared her.

Nada was in the main room, and the voices of her parents and Erwine's parents could be heard faintly through the wall. Erwine wondered when the latter two people would come into this room. She knew that her parents would have something to say. What this something would be was unknown to Erwine, nor could she even guess at what they would say.

Erwine was leaning back against the wall, sitting on her bed. She had never truly appreciated how hard and uncomfortable the wall of this room was. She figured she would have some back pain after leaning against it for a few hours, but that would be the simplest of her problems to solve, if it really did come.

Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and her head leaning back. Erwine's thoughts had been a complete mess for the past few hours, and she was not looking forward to the moment when her parents would come into the room.

She had never expected that this would happen to her. Her mind had never even considered it an inevitability. She had never even thought of it as a possibility. She hated to slander the Goddess, but Erwine had thought that She would choose magical girls more carefully than this.

_I would make a terrible magical girl, no matter what I would do, _Erwine thought, slowly realizing that there was not much hope in her life at this point.

She heard footsteps coming towards the door. They were the footsteps of two people. Two adults. Erwine had memorized the sound of her parent's footsteps long ago, and she knew that they would be opening the door in only a second.

The metal door was slowly pushed open, and a hand came through, searching for the light switch. Erwine hands rushed to cover her eyes as the light caused her pain. She could only hear the sound of her mother and father walking into her room, the bright light preventing her from seeing them.

"Hello," her mother said, "Erwine, dear, we heard what happened,"

Erwine felt a bit annoyed. _Of course you know what happened, what do you think I thought you were doing out there?! _Erwine raged internally, but when she realized it was her parents she was dealing with, all her anger was suppressed deeper inside.

"We just want to tell you that we are not angry at you," Erwine's mother said, "We're not annoyed, disappointed, sad, or anything, we'll support any decision you make,"

Erwine's eyes finally adapted enough so that she could bring her eyes away from her face. The light was not too bright, after all. She stared her mother in the eyes, and a retort was on her lips when her father spoke. "Please, Erwine, don't say anything unless you've thought it through, there's no need to be angry at anyone here," he told her, having seen the anger in Erwine's eyes.

"I'm not angry at you two," Erwine said, "Don't worry,"

"Not even yourself," her father said, "You've done nothing wrong,"

"I made an agreement with my best friend," Erwine said, "You two should know that, and this agreement was also made with three other good friends. I have potential, and not contracting when I had the chance was heresy,"

"It was not," her mother said. She sounded angry, but it was more directed at those who suggested that not contracting was heresy, not at the sobbing mess that was her daughter, "You made a choice for yourself, there is nothing wrong with that,"

"If you had the chance, when you were a child, would you taken it?" Erwine asked. Her voice as harsh, but it reflected more her own feelings about herself, rather than her feelings about her mother.

Her mother paused. Her mouth had been opening, but as she heard all of Erwine's words she had stopped. This told Erwine everything she needed to know. If the reply would have been 'no', then her mother would have spoken immediately. The reply was 'yes'.

"Well…" her mother stalled, wondering whether she should lie or tell the truth. She threw a glance at Erwine's father, who shook his head.

"I would have contracted," her mother said, hesitantly, "However, I was a different person than you are now,"

"That doesn't matter," Erwine said, "We all have duties that we have to fulfill. It is a duty of girls like me to contract, especially when an agreement has been made to do so."

"Then why did you not do your duty?" her father asked.

"I was scared," Erwine said. It was not hard for her to admit this.

"Why is that not a sufficient excuse?" her mother asked.

"There is no excuse for cowardice," Erwine said, turning her head to the side as she was unable to meet her mother's gaze any longer, "Not even cowardice that has always been within you,"

"Erwine," her mother sighed, "You don't want to be happy. We are saying that we support you, and that we love you, no matter what you choose to do, and you are refusing us. I don't really know what you want."

"I want to be left alone," Erwine said, "If you think I don't want to be happy, then just leave me be,"

Her parents said nothing as they walked out. Erwine knew that they deeply cared for her, and that they were only trying to help. Her rejection of them had been unnecessarily rude, she knew that. _They actually cannot understand, _Erwine thought.

It was true. While many children are prone to believing that their parents do not understand them, it was true in this case. Neither adult who Erwine had just sent away had ever had to face such a choice as Erwine now did. They could not possibly understand the weight on her shoulders at this point.

Erwine knew this. They did not. She knew that not even Nada could understand. No one could, save another girl who had been faced with the same choice. Erwine doubted that such a person would just come walking around her neighborhood.

* * *

><p>Contrary to the belief of Erwine, a girl who had been faced with a choice similar to hers was planning to walk around her neighborhood, if her neighborhood could be expanded to include all the hive known as Tertranus.<p>

However, the inquisitor who was planning on doing this was currently not happy. Her smile had been turned into the opposite expression by the appearance of a certain creature whom she had grown to hate.

_Type of creature, really, _Adrianne corrected herself, _even though they all look the same, mostly sound the same, and their actions are only a little different. _She looked the Incubator in front of her in the eyes. She had stared down far worse threats, but the unchanging, expressionless face of the creature still made her uncomfortable.

Adrianne looked down at the small thing, and asked, "What do you want?"

The creature's normal monotone was a cheerier monotone. Every single thing it said had the same pitch, but the pitch was a bit higher. That meant it was a bit different from the last one Adrianne had encountered. It also meant it knew human's better, as it was clear the creatures did not have emotions, and if they displayed any, then it as only to try and seem friendlier to whomever they were talking to. In this slightly higher pitched voice, the creature said, "Hello Adrianne!"

The inquisitor cringed at the use of her name by the Incubator, but she did nothing more than that in reply to her name. In reply to the entire statement, she repeated, "What do you want?" At this point, her voice was more monotone than the Incubator's.

"I have come here to inform you of someone you might be interested in," the Incubator said.

"Who?"

"A girl on the planet below. She fits the criteria you asked me to look for the last time we met," the creature explained.

_Last time we met? _Adrianne thought, _you aren't the same. _"Are you certain?"

"What reason would I have to lie to you?" the Incubator asked.

"Perhaps you would like to explain," Adrianne said, "Given that you are not the same Incubator I spoke to two weeks ago."

The Incubator did not move, but Adrianne could feel it shrugging. "So, methods do not equate morals," the creature said, but Adrianne could feel it struggling to weasel its way out of the situation it stuck itself in.

"One could say that," Adrianne agreed, then suggested, "How about we just forget about that little lie, and pretend that you would never do such a thing?"

The Incubator did not reply to that, instead continuing on as if nothing of the sort had been said. Adrianne knew it would do that. "I am certain that this girl meets the criteria you specified, I can list out the details if you wish."

"There is no need," Adrianne said, before smirking, and adding in, "I'll trust you,"

The Incubator showed no reaction to the added comment, but Adrianne could feel that it had reacted in some way. "I'll be going now, if there is no reason for you to keep me any longer," the inquisitor said, before waiting for the creature to walk off and disappear into the shadows as it liked to do.

"I'm sorry," the Incubator said, "But there is more,"

"What?" Adrianne gritted her teeth, having had enough of the creature already.

"You have not been exactly forthcoming with excess grief cubes," the Incubator explained, "You are overdue on the payment, you asked for more time, and this is the deadline established when you last spoke with one of us."

Adrianne frowned. _Of course, _she thought, _of all the things to forget. _It was standard for all inquisitors to give over a portion of their grief cubes to the Incubators, so that they may keep the Goddess alive on the Throne. The tax dates were standardized across the galaxy, but for someone like Adrianne, who pushed herself and her subordinates hard, grief cubes were not always plentiful.

"Give me a few minutes," Adrianne said, "I don't have them with me now." However, she was classified under the type of inquisitors who moved around often, so her tax was not as large due to the unpredictable nature of her work.

She walked around the Incubator and down the hall, thinking of how to work on the amount she had left after this. _I can give up my personal supply, I don't think I will be needing my magic much down here. If this operation goes according to plan, then there should be little for me to do except in the end, and by then I'll have had time to stop by the local offices. _

The inquisitor went through the ship back to her room. At some point, the Incubator disappeared, which pleased Adrianne greatly. She would have hated to walk the kilometer back to her quarters with the thing followed her. However, as soon as she opened the door to her room, the thing was there waiting for her.

Sighing, the inquisitor walked to her cabinets, and retrieved the small metal box in which half her personal supply was located. She put the box on the bed, and started to toss the cubes at the Incubator, who happily swallowed them up.

Once the task was done, the Incubator looked up at Adrianne, saying, "Thank you, Adrianne, you serve the Goddess well." With that, the creature turned around.

"Wait," Adrianne called, making the Incubator pause and turn once again, "This girl, has she contracted yet?"

"Not as of yet," the Incubator admitted, "She will,"

"Are you certain?"

The Incubator replied, "Absolutely certain, some things are just inevitable,"

* * *

><p>Erwine dreamed again. Memories flooded into her head, of darkness, of chaos, of a world in flames. Her eyes were closed at first, and when she opened them, there was once again nothing.<p>

Unlike the last dream, this dream brought something to Erwine for her. She found herself feeling something under her, something she sat on. Erwine blinked multiple times, as bright white light flooded into her eyes.

The light was brighter and cleaner than any light she had ever encountered while inside a building. She knew she was inside. She didn't know how, but who knows how dreams work? She looked around through her still-adjusting eyes, seeing that she sat on an ornate red chair, more akin to a throne rather than a simple piece of furniture.

This chair was comfortable, made of a soft material, the likes of which Erwine had never felt in her life. She had never imagined that something could be this soft and comfortable. Her arms were on the armrests of the chair, while her legs were hanging down as her back leaned against the back of the chair.

Erwine noticed that she was wearing clothes that were different from what she normally wore. Different colors, a small tiara was felt atop her head, long tights and a pair of high-heeled shoes. It was strange, but Erwine found comfort in seeing and feeling herself in this attire.

She was at peace. Then, as soon as she finished blinking, there was someone in front of her. It was a human. In a chair, like the chair Erwine now sat in. A girl, about Erwine's age, maybe a little taller. She wore a red greatcoat, and a red hat was on her head. Long blonde hair, tied into a ponytail, ran down the back of her head.

_She can't be! _Erwine thought, as she saw the entirety of the other girl, _she can't be the girl…the girl from the other dream?! What is she doing here?!_

Her eyes were blue, and they stared into Erwine's. Her face was emotionless, but there were clearly feelings under the surface that were not being expressed on her face. She sat in a pose similar to Erwine's.

"You've come a long way, Erwine," the girl said. Her voice was familiar, but not.

Erwine tried to open her mouth. Her muscles struggled to work, as if she was too tired to even move. She did not feel weak, she was just tired.

"You've seen many wondrous things, and have done even more wondrous things," the girl said. She stood up, sighing as she looked down at the girl in front of her.

"You've come a very long way from where you were," the girl said, "But…you still have so far to go. Your journey has really only just begun, my little Erwine." She grinned, before taking a step forwards, her hand reaching out to pat Erwine on the head.

"You need some rest," the girl said, "Get some sleep, things can stand to wait a few more hours." She turned to the right, and walked away. The chair she had been sitting in slowly faded away, and Erwine could not turn her head to follow the path of the girl as she left.

Erwine was tired. She was so tired. She wanted answers, but it was clear that no answers would come without sleep. So she closed her eyes, feeling sleep coming for her mind.

She let it take her away, and then there was nothing.

* * *

><p>Erwine's next day would start very similar to the last, just as it always did. Even down to the lingering sense of fear that stemmed from the clouded images of the dreams she had the night before.<p>

Except this morning, Erwine did not read any book when she finished the rest of her procedure. She had not had to do anything for school. Homework was never given out on the day of _that _class. Erwine sat on the couch, resting her arm on the armrest as she leaned in that direction, while her legs were pulled up next to her on the couch.

She heard the sounds of Nada getting up, going to the bathroom, eating, the normal things the girl did in the morning. Erwine expected her to say something to her. But most of Erwine wished that Nada would not say anything, as she imagined that the words the girl would say would not be pleasant to hear.

Erwine stared at the corner of the wall, her eyes going up and down as they traced the seam where the two walls met. For some reason, it interested her. It was not truly interesting, but it was an insignificant thing that Erwine could think about instead of anything else.

All of a sudden, she felt someone behind her. There was no one else besides Nada who could be behind her, so Erwine instantly knew that her morning was about to get worse. Although she had successfully staved off most thoughts about the previous day, she imagined that whatever Nada said would not be much help.

Yet Nada said nothing. She simply wrapped her arms around Erwine's shoulders, kneeling down behind the couch in order to do this. She sat like this, with her arms around her friend, her head pressed into the back of her shoulder.

Erwine expected some explanation. She expected Nada to burst out, declaring what conclusion she had reached which had led to this kindness. _Or will this kindness be followed by anger? _Erwine had to wonder.

For minutes and minutes, the two girls sat there. Erwine stopped looking at the meeting point of the two walls, instead looking down at herself, and wondering what she had done. Sure enough, Nada had not helped stave off the memories of the day before, but she had also not made them worse.

Instead, she had made Erwine…happier. Not much, but a little. And a little was good for Erwine at this point. However, it was almost time to leave for the day. "I'm sorry," Nada said, "I really am sorry. I didn't want to be so angry at you. I shouldn't have done what I did, pushing you into agreeing with me like I did."

Erwine did not have the words with which to reply to Nada. She could only listen to the girl, as Nada sniffled a little. "I shouldn't have even advocated that opinion from the start. I should have agreed with you, we're friends, after all."

Nada took a deep breath, and Erwine could tell that whatever she was going to say next would be of the utmost importance, "If you are approached once again by the Incubator, then you do not have to contract. I don't know if you are truly seeking the approval of the Goddess herself, or if you simply seek my approval, but you have the latter."

"We've been this far together, Erwine, and I know it may be impossible for you to be any different. So you don't have to go anywhere. You can refuse, and we can be here for the rest of our lives." There was no underlying subtext to Nada's words. She would later swear to the Goddess, on her life, on her children's lives, even on her very soul, that she had not meant to convey any other message to Erwine.

However, Erwine certainly found another message in the girl's words.

The two girls stood up, and immediately went to prepare to go. Erwine now wore a smile on her face. It was a bright smile. The two girls walked to the door, which was opened by Erwine this time.

And so, the two young girls resumed their places as tiny, insignificant, meaningless cogs, within the greatest machine of all time. A machine that cared not for the tiny cogs within.

* * *

><p>Adrianne had walked only a few meters from her room, down the hall to another door. She stood in front of this door, her hand raised to knock. There was some hesitation within her muscles, but it was overcome quickly. The inquisitor's arm moved, and her knuckles rapped on the hard metal of the door. They did not hurt.<p>

"Come in," the voice of a young girl called. Adrianne's arm went to the door handle, and she opened the door with ease, stepping just in front of the door as she came in the room. The door was shut behind her, and the inquisitor stared back at the girl sitting at a desk within the room.

"Hello, Adrianne," the raven-haired girl said, before breaking eye contact and looking back at what she was working on. She seemed to be reading over a stack of papers. Adrianne knew that they were official reports she was supposed to submit, being proofread so that they provided sufficient explanation for her actions.

"Hello," the inquisitor replied, walking closer to her subordinate. The girl still did not look up as Adrianne came closer.

"Is there something you need?" Airi Koizumi asked. Her voice was serious. She understood that there may be something more than just a normal visit. Ninety-nine percent of things Adrianne would need to tell Airi could be said via telepathy. If Adrianne was there in person, then she wanted to say something important.

"Plans have changed," Adrianne said, "For our visit to Siothea," She spoke of their arrival as if they were taking a casual vacation to the planet.

"In what way?" Airi asked.

"We'll be sidetracked, or at least I will be," Adrianne explained, "I've been told of a potential candidate for recruitment is below, one that fits the criteria." The last phrase spoken by the inquisitor carried a special importance. She spoke it with a certain inflection that made Airi look up.

"I understand," the girl said. Her magical girl outfit always had Adrianne staring at it. Some theories said that one's outfit somehow conveyed something about that person, and if so, then Adrianne wished to know how Airi's outfit fit into that theory. She was a focused girl, but was pleasant to be around.

Her all black uniform did not exactly suggest this. She wore a black skirt down to her knees, a pair of black dress shoes on her feet, with nothing else to cover her slightly-tanned legs. On her chest was a black cuirass, over a black jacket. The jacket's collar was up, and tucked inside the collar was a short black scarf which ran down over the cuirass. Her hair was tied back in a bun, her soul gem forming the pin of that bun. Her hands were covered by a pair of small black gloves, looking suited more towards pulling back the string of a bow than anything else.

Adrianne had always find this outfit interesting, as Airi was by no means a dark person. She was realist, practical, and focused, but she was just as pleasurable to be around as many other people. _Or maybe I should stop listening to other inquisitors, as if that's ever gotten me anywhere. _

"Are you certain?" Airi asked, interrupting Adrianne's thoughts.

"I've chosen to trust the Incubator," Adrianne said, the words hurting her as she spoke them.

"Seriously?" Airi asked, "You're going to trust one of _them_, now?"

"I have little other choice," Adrianne said, "It shall not cause much trouble, and if it was a lie, then it will do us no harm. Besides, we cannot pass up this chance,"

"Has the girl contracted yet?" Airi asked. She was practical. She was a realist. She was even less inclined to trust Incubators than Adrianne. And, she did not share the same past as her master.

"Not as of yet," Adrianne said, but then held a finger up to Airi, indicating that she should wait before speaking, "However, I believe in fate, you know that,"

The inquisitor smiled, pride swelling in her chest, she started to walk around the room as she spoke, "An Incubator finds the right girl as we come in-system, before she has even contracted!" Adrianne laughed jubilantly, as if she was on the brink of winning a life-long war. She turned towards Airi and slammed her hands on the desk, "Don't you understand?!" she yelled, "This was meant to occur! Even if there are some questions yet to be answered, it does not matter!"

Adrianne stepped back from the table drunkenly, intoxicated by the excitement she felt, "It looks like that I don't have to worry for much longer," she whispered.

Airi was sitting up straight now, staring at Adrianne. She took a deep breath, "Adrianne, are you going to do what you have planned to do?" she asked.

Adrianne frowned, "Of course I am," she replied, "Why would I pass up a chance like this one? If this girl is the one I have been looking for, then she is the one that most go through everything,"

"You have seen what that did to Ayelen, and she was not experiencing what this girl will," Airi reminded her master.

"So?" Adrianne asked, "Ayelen was but an experiment. She is useful, very useful, but Laelia takes care of her. I'll handle this one personally." The inquisitor smiled triumphantly, "Why are you not excited?" she asked.

"I don't like what you're doing to do," Airi said.

"You've been with me for twenty-three years, and yet you don't like what I'm doing," Adrianne seemed sad, "You don't understand me, not yet?"

"I understand you," Airi said, "And I agree with your motives, but not with your methods, not entirely."

Adrianne shrugged, "I've never asked for understanding, I suppose, only support," she turned around, to face the door. Walking towards it, the inquisitor said, "Fear not, Airi, this burden is mine to bear." With that, the inquisitor walked out of the room, leaving Airi sitting in silence.

The girl stared at the door for a few minutes, then looked back at the desk, muttering, "That is exactly why I am worried,"

* * *

><p>Erwine's classes were over without any issues. Her classes and schedule were both back to normal. There was no concern over the previous day's issues, at least none was shown by any adults. Many girls were still clearly dealing with the problems that they were faced with at this age, Erwine felt bad for them.<p>

There was nothing she could do to help. She could only be happy that her friend had given her the freedom to make her own choices. A freedom that she had not had for much of her life.

Erwine had been thinking throughout the day, about what Nada had said to her that morning. _…For the rest of our lives_, Erwine recalled the end of that one sentence Nada had said to her. _Do I really want to be here for the rest of my life? Do I really want to amount to nothing, continuing to be insignificant? _

Erwine stood up, the bell had rung. Her final class for the day was over. She walked towards the door, her face distant, and her pace slow, as her mind slowly came to an answer. _No. _That was the decision Erwine came to. She wanted out. However, there were only two way out.

_Death, or contracting, _Erwine realized, turning around as she walked down the hallway. She had been moving slowly, but a part of her mind had made her realize she had left her book in the classroom. It was one of the books she had stashed away at home, which she brought to read.

Erwine started making her way back towards the classroom. Classes had ended five minutes before, but for some reason, the lights were off within the room, and the teacher was nowhere to be seen. Sometimes, they stayed at least ten minutes after to wrap something up. It was not uncommon, what Erwine now saw, but it did make her uneasy.

Especially when she found that the door was open. Erwine stepped inside, and quickly moved to where her desk was. She found the book underneath the table, and stuffed it into her backpack before she heard a noise behind her.

Erwine stood up quickly, spinning around and jumping back, such was the panic she felt. Far too many stories of rape and assault had reached her ears for her to be careless.

No one was there. No one human. Erwine caught sight of a small white creature slipping by a desk, and her heart sank. She shook her head. _I can't turn back now. I've made my choice, and the people who care about me the most support it. _

She took a deep breath, and then walked towards the front of the classroom. She blinked, and the Incubator was on the teacher's desk at the front of the room. It stared at her with its large pink eyes, its expressionless face, with its tail flipping back and forth.

Erwine froze, but she had prepared herself for this. Her eyes closed, and her mouth opened. "No," she said, her voice steady and proud, "I will not contract,"

"Are you certain?" the Incubator's reply was immediate, as if it expected Erwine's words.

Erwine nodded, her eyes still closed. "You have no wish you want granted?" the creature asked. Erwine had clasped her hands in front of her, but they tightened as she tried to stay calm.

Erwine was unsure whether to lie, or to tell the truth. Either way, she would be doing something she did not want to do. "No," she said, "I have no wish,"

"That is a lie," Once again, the reply was too fast to have not been planned out.

Erwine seethed internally, as it was clear that the Incubator knew exactly what it was doing. _It's expected this, planned this out, it thinks that my contracting is…inevitable. _Erwine's eyes shot open, her jaw dropping. Her hands came apart, and her foot stepped back as her entire body flinched from the shock of the realization she had brought upon herself.

Erwine Braune had remembered that some things are inevitable. _I don't have a choice, do I? _She wondered, _I'll contract no matter what, at some point in the next few minutes. It's just…inevitable. _

"You have a choice, Erwine Braune," the Incubator reminded her, "I can leave right now, and let you be at peace, but deep down, is that what you truly wish for?"

Erwine gritted her teeth together, and took a step forwards, reversing her momentum as she shouted, "I will not contract! I don't want to leave here! You should know by now that I'm too much of a coward to amount to anything!"

The Incubator said nothing for a minute. Erwine had time to think on what she said. She started wanting to take back her words, wanting to rescind her statement. _No, I have spoken. I won't back down, not now. _

"By definition, only the coward is capable of the highest heroism," the Incubator said. Erwine could have sworn she had heard that somewhere before, but could not place it, as the impact the words had on her was greater than the need to remember who had first said them.

Erwine shook her head, "I don't believe that," she lied. Erwine was never a good liar. She had never managed to convince Nada, who trusted her more than anyone, of anything, much less this Incubator.

"You do, Erwine Braune," replied the creature, "So why don't you just contract?"

Erwine was silent. She stood, feet side by side with only a few centimeters in between, staring down at those feet, trying to block out the voice of the Incubator.

"Do you truly want to live here for the rest of your life? Do you want to amount to nothing? Do you want to fade away into obscurity with only a few people knowing and remembering your name?" The Incubator paused, before it spoke again. "Or…do you want your name to become known by the entire Imperium? Do you want your name to be sung by thousands, praising the deeds you have done?"

"You can be a hero, Erwine Braune," the Incubator said, "Or you can be nothing more than a tiny piece of a far greater machine, a machine that doesn't care who you are,"

Erwine was starting to cry. She fell to her knees, hands covering her face as she sobbed. Her tears ran down her cheeks into her hands, covering her already sweat-covered palms with more moisture. Salt was tasted by her tongue.

"You have a choice," the Incubator said, "You always have a choice," The lie was not at all obvious, but Erwine heard it. She realized it, and she also accepted that in this case, she had no choice.

There was only one thing she could do now. A seed had been inadvertently planted in her mind by Nada, and the boredom of school had nourished the seed, only to be fully brought to fruition by the Incubator. Events had turned out this way exactly so that Erwine Braune would want to contract now.

Was this luck? Pure chance, that Nada say that one phrase, that Erwine would interpret it the way she did? Erwine certainly couldn't tell. The Incubator might have told her, but it was wrong. Some things are just meant to happen.

Erwine stood up, her face still covered in tears, her eyes still glistening with moisture. She stared back at the incubator, finally able to match its gaze and feel no fear from those somehow mysterious and threatening pink eyes.

A deep breath was taken in and pushed out. Erwine opened her mouth. Her voice was soft, faint, barely audible. Her eyes closed. Her entire body froze.

"I wish to become more than I am now, to have the power to make my own decisions, to control my own fate. To be my own person, free of control."

"Thank you, Erwine Braune, your wish heals the Goddess," these words were the last the Incubator ever said to her.

The Incubator's ear-like appendages reached out towards Erwine, and her chest began to glow brightly. Suddenly, a terrible pain spread throughout Erwine's entire body. She instantly screamed, but no sound came out. She tried to struggle, but she could not move.

Every single part of her hurt. Each millimeter of skin roared in pain. The pain stretched down to the cells inside her, and down to the molecules inside those cells. Down to the atoms making up those molecules. It was if every part of her body was being assaulted in every way possible.

Her chest was pulled forwards, and her limbs and head were pushed back. Erwine kept screaming, but no sound was coming out. Her feet lifted off the ground, and the pain grew more and more intense by the second. The pain was most intense in her chest. It felt like her heart was being ripped out, nanometer by nanometer.

Erwine felt more pain than she ever felt in her life, more pain than she ever would feel, not until a day long in the future. And then it was over. Erwine fell on her back, and a glowing, silver, egg-shaped object fell into her hands.

Tears flowed from her eyes as she looked down, and saw a soul gem. Erwine could do only one thing. She looked up at the ceiling, thinking of what she had done. She had just given her life to the Goddess, wishing for her own empowerment. She had become a larger part of a great machine. A machine that would still grind her up, spit her out, and reduce her body to nothing, but it was a machine she swore to serve.

So the young girl stared at the ceiling as if that was where the Goddess was, her voice whispering soft words that were only meant to comfort her,

"The Goddess Protects."

* * *

><p>There is always the distinct possibility that we are being lied to. We know little of the Incubators, save that they have always been there. Theories suggest that the primarchs existed before the Goddess, which means the Incubators did, unless magic was made through other means. We already have the masses convinced the Goddess created magic, which we need them to believe, but we know that to be false. The Golden Age of Magic is called that for a reason, but of course most know it as only the Dark Age of Technology.<p>

The fact that magic came before the Goddess make me question the Incubators. But it also makes me question our histories. Supposedly, the Goddess was born into this world around the 20th Millennium, but it may be possible that she existed before then. No evidence we have suggests this, but if we want to retain our sanity and loyalty, then I suggest that the Inquisition and Mage Knights rewrite their histories to say this.

Of course, there is also the alternative possibility, that the incubators are a xenos race with some sort of ulterior motive…

-Excerpt from the now-heretic Inquisitor Cordelia Donnavy's paper _Lies from the Highest Source_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 should come in a few days, and probably be about this size. Most chapters should be around this long, unless there is a lot happening, but the next few chapters should be around this length. The holidays may mess up the next update time, but since there is no established schedule yet I don't feel too bad. The next chapter should be out by Saturday at the latest. <strong>


	3. From the Dream Itself, a Monster?

**So this chapter is a bit rough around the edges, but I don't want to spend too much time revising. As of now, this story will update weekly(hopefully), because the next week is going to be a bit hectic for me, and I don't know how much time I'll have. **

* * *

><p>It is considered possible, by the more open minded in the Inquisition, that nothing is set in stone. Some are inclined to believe that the Goddess does not decide everything in our lives, and instead we choose our own paths. These people are more commonly known as radicals. The radicals are possibly one of the greatest threats to the Imperium, given how deep they are inside our ranks, and how much power they wield.<p>

Every time we remove one, they become a martyr for the rest. There is little hope of us ever being free of them, that is a fact. However, we must suppress them in every way we can. This is why i would respectfully the clearance to do whatever it takes to keep a rising star among their ranks, Adrianne Azure, under constant surveillance no matter where she goes...

-Excerpt from Inquisitor Estelle Adramartis's Request to the Agalemis Sect Council.

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><p>Erwine slowly walked outside the scholam building. Even though she was late, she knew Nada would be waiting for her. She wasn't worried about that. She was worried about hat Nada would think.<p>

Erwine didn't know if it would be taken as a betrayal. After all, Nada had told Erwine that she didn't have to contract. Erwine cared about Nada's feelings, but also realized that her becoming a magical girl was for the best.

She easily made her way out; now that few people were left. Erwine quickly put her glove over her left hand; making sure to conceal her ring. She had regained her composure since she contracted and was now ready to accept the consequences of her actions. She didn't think that Nada would be too mad even though she had told Erwine to not do it. She had wanted Erwine to contract in the first place.

Erwine walked down the steps of the main entrance to find Nada waiting at the bottom. She looked angry. Erwine's mind went wild. _Had she figured it out? Does she somehow know?_ Erwine prepared mentally prepared herself. She'd wanted to tell Nada at the right time; not immediately.

But all Nada said was "Where have you been!? I've been waiting here fifteen minutes!"

Erwine was relieved. She had a tendency to imagine the worst extreme first and stick to it. "I just got stuck talking to someone; that's all," Erwine explained.

"Well, you could bring them out here at least," Nada looked hurt. Did she think Erwine was secretly meeting someone? Probably, but that was currently the least of Erwine's problems.

"Come on," Erwine said, strolling past Nada who ran to catch up, "I have something very important to show you."

_How fast should I do this? Wait or tell her now? It's hard to judge what her reaction will be, so it's a difficult choice._

"Erwine?" Nada cooed, then her voice got a bit more annoyed, asking, "What is it? You're worrying me."

_Too late, she's worried and she won't stop pestering me until I tell her. I really did well here. I guess she can help me talk to Mom and Dad._

"Erwine!" Nada said sternly, "Spit it out already!" Erwine cursed herself for getting into this situation. The two of them began to walk on the route home. Erwine wondered how to put it. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Ughhhh," Nada grunted as she grabbed Erwine's hand and spun the girl around to face her. She leaned in close to Erwine's face, "What. Is. It." She growled.

"I-I-I don't know how to say it," Erwine looked away from Nada. She dropped her schoolbag. Using the now-free hand she pulled the glove off of her left hand. "So here, I'm sorry," Erwine continued to look away; not wanting to see the look on Nada's face.

"E-e-Erwine," Nada froze. She turned. Her voice was filled with many feelings. But the worst that Erwine could hear…was betrayal. Erwine cursed herself. She should've known. She should've known that Nada would feel betrayed.

Erwine turned around; tears streaming down her cheeks. She fell to her knees. She saw Nada's face. It conveyed the same feeling of betrayal Erwine heard in her voice. "I'm sorry, Nada, I'm so sorry," She expected Nada to have the same anger as the day before.

But the blonde girl dropped her bag and ran to embrace Erwine. She rested Erwine's head on her shoulder. "I'm not mad, Erwine, I'm not mad," She spoke softly.

"I said I'd be fine if you didn't contract, but I'm also fine if you did," Nada said. Erwine calmed down a bit. She slowed her breathing back to its normal rate. But as her body calmed, her mind panicked. _What is she really feeling?! Is there something more?! _Erwine, while she had just been brave, still found herself unable to confront her friend.

"The Incubator, it-it convinced me!" Erwine confessed, believing she had to explain why she contracted. Her voice was panicky, and she was barely able to keep contain the various emotions fighting for recognition within her.

"Erwine, I don't need to know why," Nada said quickly, hearing the panic within Erwine. She understood that if she did not handle the situation, carefully, Erwine might just break down because of what she had just done.

Yet Nada was feeling many things as well. Happiness, sadness, pride, disappointment, but overall, anger was the thing which controlled her now. Erwine sometimes had no reason to be afraid, but this was a time when she did need to be afraid.

Erwine froze, struggling under Nada's grip. The two girls locked eyes, and their true feelings were revealed in a single instant of eye contact. "So," Erwine said softly, "That's what you really feel,"

She stepped back from her friend, eyes wary of the girl. "What do you mean?" Nada asked, but the different tone of her voice betrayed her true feelings. She gritted her teeth as Erwine shook her head.

"I didn't think you would be angry," she admitted, "I thought you might be sad, but not…angry, we made that agreement…"

"You don't understand," Nada said, "You can't possibly understand. Just like I couldn't understand you, you can't understand me."

"What do you mean?!" Erwine shouted, backing against the wall of the alley. Her voice expressed the fear she felt, and the inability to understand she felt. _Does she think I actually can't understand, or does she not want me to? _

"Our paths in life have split now," Nada said. Her voice was beginning to sound sad, rather than angry, "We can't ever understand the problems and situation of the other ever again." The girl shook her head, "I wish it could have been different," she muttered.

"What do you mean?!" Erwine shouted. She wanted to understand, but she did not know how. She didn't even know anything about what Nada might be feeling. No reasons came to her mind that explained the girl's actions.

Nada looked down at the ground, "You've said that twice now, but I keep saying that you can't get what I mean," she sighed, "I guess that I should be ready to say goodbye sooner or later,"

Erwine shook her head, "Don't worry!" she shouted, "I don't have to go for a long time, we don't even know if any mage knights are in the system to recruit me!"

"Someone has to be watching," Nada said, "You know how quickly they pick up girls. You have a day, maybe two at the most."

"Stop being so cynical!" Erwine shouted, her anger rising, "I did exactly what you wanted me to! I contracted! I was brave! I did something that some girls my age can never find the courage to do! Start showing me some respect!"

Nada's entire face changed in a split second. She looked up at Erwine, a smile on her face. Erwine was crying, however. She couldn't understood how she had said what she just did. _Was that the wish taking effect? _She wondered.

What was even stranger was that Nada was walking towards Erwine with a bright smile on her face, her hands clasped in front of her. "Erwine," she said, her voice sweet, yet speaking in the most respectful voice possible, "You were so brave, you're right. I can't believe I would ever act the way I did."

"Stop it," Erwine immediately said, but the words were less a command and more a prayer that Nada would come to her senses, "No, what are you doing?" Nada was beginning to rattle off a list of praises. Erwine had never seen her do this for anyone before. She had never seen the girl change moods so drastically before.

Erwine thought about what could have happened. _I couldn't have done that? _She remembered the demand for respect. Shaping her tone for a more direct command, Erwine ordered Nada, "Stop it."

Nada immediately froze. Her face became confused. She looked around. "What just happened?" she asked, before looking at Erwine, "What did you do?" It was a guess. Nada did not have any idea what happened, and simply wondered in a casual tone that was not accusatory, if Erwine had done something.

Erwine shook her head, her pack slipped from her back, "I don't know," she turned to run, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Don't run!" Nada said, "Don't run away from me! You just contracted, and yet you can't stand up to me being angry?!"

"I don't know why you're angry!" Erwine shouted, "All you say is that I can't understand, when I am trying to help you,"

"You won't listen to me!" Nada screamed, "You can't help me anymore! Just because you're a magical girl doesn't mean you can fix everyone's problems!" Nada was angrier than ever before. The only time Erwine had felt more hate was when Nada had been angry at her the first time the Incubator came.

"I see I'm…not wanted," Erwine turned around, knowing she would not be stopped this time. The revelation about her magic had been only one small nail in a much larger coffin. Her true reason to turn and run was more because she had realized that being a magical girl was not all fun and games. Somehow, she thought that her wish would bring her happiness.

The realization that it did not was too much for her. Her anger at Nada had only gotten the girl even angrier. Nothing was working out. So Erwine did what she did best, and ran away.

Nada was left in silence behind her, as Erwine ran to go anywhere but a place where Nada would be.

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><p>The sun was going down. It wasn't good to be out after dark. Erwine didn't care. She just wanted to be away from everyone. She wanted to figure out what she had just done.<p>

She had been running for hours, through the maze of streets and alleys. She was tired, out of breath. So she stopped and leaned back against a wall. She couldn't keep herself up, so she slumped to the ground. Tears began to fall from her cheeks onto the snow-covered ground.

Her parents would be worried sick. But she knew Nada wouldn't care. No, that was a lie. If Erwine's prediction was true; Nada would be worried too. Erwine felt terrible, but she had realized the repercussions of her 'logical' choice. She needed time to think.

"Why are you crying?" asked someone. Erwine whipped her head to the left. There sat another girl. She looked Erwine's age.

She wore a red hat and had blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She had a red trench coat on which split at the waist to reveal a knee-length black and red skirt. Her high-heeled boots stretched up to her knees.

Erwine didn't speak. She was too scared to think about replying.

The person that spoke to her now…it couldn't be. It was that girl…

The girl in the dream.

And that girl…was a monster. Erwine would not talk to a monster. She would run.

Her muscles did not obey her commands, and honestly, Erwine could not criticize them. If she ran, that might cause trouble. Even more trouble than she was already in.

So she decided to talk, if nothing else, it would buy her time to figure out a way to escape. She hesitantly spoke, in response to the question that this…girl, if it could be called such a thing, had asked.

"Because I'm a coward," Erwine responded.

"Don't cry," her voice was so calm. It was exactly like the…

Girl in her dream…

The second one.

_This girl was in both of them,_ Erwine thought, _but…she was so kind in the second! Yet she was a monster in the first! _

"Who are you?" Erwine asked.

"Who are you?" the girl replied.

Erwine almost answered with her name, but then understood the true meaning of the question. She did not want to give the answer she had in mind, afraid that this girl would carry out that answer. But she figured that the girl would know if she was lying. So Erwine replied "A coward, a traitor who should be killed."

"That's not true,"

"Why?"

"A general who abandons his post and leaves his men to die so he can escape is a traitor, he should be shot. Not a 13-year old girl who just made a life-changing decision and cries about it." The girl in red responded.

Her head was tilted ever so slightly in Erwine's direction, so that just a bit of her face was exposed to the girl's view.

"You know? About the contract?" Erwine replied, her heart racing more and more with each passing second.

"You'll find I know many things, Erwine Braune,"

_How does she know my name? Who is she? Why does she sound like the girl in the dream?_

"Who are you?" Erwine whispered. She needed to know. She felt that knowing the girls' name would somehow help her.

"My name is not important right now. What is important is whether or not you are ready," The girl tilted her head backwards and to the side towards Erwine. It was strange. It looked unnatural. Her eyes felt like they looked right into her soul. Erwine was scared. She felt like the girl would kill her if she answered incorrectly

_She must be an Imperial official. Obviously part of the mage knights? She's tracked me down? This fast? Who is she? _There was a word in the back of Erwine's mind, a word that kept appearing in the back of her head, repeating over and over again as if her gut would not let go of the idea that this was true.

"Don't ask what I mean, because you know what I mean by that." Erwine paused. The girl looked ready to kill, but Erwine knew if she lied the girl would know and kill her anyways. She sat for a minute; unsure how to respond. Finally, she did.

"I'm scared," She pulled her knees up to her face and buried her face in them.

_Why did I make the contract? I could've refused. I could've lived a normal life and…_

"Of what?" The girl questioned, interrupting Erwine's thoughts. She had a much lighter tone to her voice now, it was calming. Like Erwine's answer had satisfied her.

Erwine felt like she was about to go into shock. She felt like another second with this girl would drive her mad with fear, but some primal instinct to survive drove her on, as her mind told her that staying and fighting the fear would be better than running.

Erwine stopped crying and looked straight into the girl's eyes. "I don't know what I'll encounter, I've heard…of things I don't want to be true."

The girl chuckled, it wasn't a derisive laugh. She was clearly humored. "There are many things in this universe that no one would want to be true."

"But, they exist and it is our job to protect against them," _Inquisitor, _was the word that Erwine kept thinking of. It was impossible. _They don't exist. The dreams…were they signs? Is this girl an impossibility? She was in my dreams...yet here she is, seemingly part of an organization that isn't supposed to exist. _

"I know that, and I want to do that. But I feel this fear that won't stop." Erwine felt her mind going on autopilot now, unsure that she wanted to do anything, except survive this conversation with what to was to her one of those things we had just talked of.

"I felt that too," the girl had a much lighter tone to her voice now, like she was remembering a wondrous time of her life. It was strange, as it sounded like a legitimate sense of nostalgia, a deep sense that no one could fake.

"But, you wouldn't have contracted if you were truly scared," the girl looked right at her, a grin on her face. It was so comforting the way she acted, her voice, it was calming.

Even though the fear told me it was the opposite, she felt safe.

"Who are you?" Erwine asked. She wanted to know, she wanted to know what she was agreeing to. Who would she be serving for her life if she agreed?

What would she be serving for the rest of her life?

"Please," she pleaded, "Tell me, who are you?" She had a vague sense of hope about learning this…girl's, Erwine was willing to admit that this thing was a girl, name.

"My name doesn't matter," the girl stopped grinning. She was serious. More than there were words. She turned her head away. She panicked, remembering my conversation with Nada the day before, and then the argument with her earlier that day.

Erwine knew that I could not let all this go to waste. _Is she angry, _I thought,_ No! She can't be! I won't screw this up again!_

"What does matter then?" She asked.

"I told you what matters," she was definitely angry. She looked as if she was done talking. Erwine could see she wanted to leave, but didn't for some reason.

"You didn't understand, obviously, so let's try again," She had contempt in her voice now. It almost sounded like raw hatred for Erwine.

"Would you like to join me?" She stood up. She turned and faced the opposite direction. She was about to walk away. She turned her head backwards; the look on her face scared Erwine. "Last chance,"

"I… I accept! I will join you!" Erwine leapt up. She shouted not with excitement or happiness, but simply with duty to the people she loved. She knew she couldn't let them down. Even if she failed herself, she would not fail others who counted on her.

The girl turned, looking once again; straight into Erwine's eyes. Her flat expression turned into a grin and then into a smile. She leapt towards Erwine, clearly filled with joy.

_She's strange. If she really is who she says she is. Who I think she is…she can't be this joyful! _

"Good!" she shouted extended her left hand. On it Erwine could see her soul gem in its ring form. Erwine shook it. The girl's hand was firm and she had clearly done this many times.

"Inquisitor Adrianne Azure of the Ordo Hereticus of Her Majesty's Holy Inquisition." The girl had a full smile on her face now. She clearly liked to say all of her title. As an afterthought, she said, "That, is my name,"

"Erwine Hartmann" She meekly responded. She was cowed by the title but calmed by the way Adrianne said it. _Well, that's probably the effect she wants, _Erwine thought, not feeling as scared as she did before.

Erwine's thoughts went wild as she understood that she had been right all along. _The Inquisiton is real! And I'm…I'm part of it now. _Erwine realized the tales that she had heard of the inquisition, and started to question her choice.

"I know, I know, what a big title and all, and trust me, a sector over and it'd be twice as long." Adrianne laughed, "But probably not as positive," Still smiling, she asked. "So where do you live? We must tell your family of this."

"I'll show you," Erwine offered and turned to move. But she was stopped by Adrianne, who clasped her left hand in her own. Erwine was surprised by this move. She stared at her Adrianne's hand attempting to grasp some deeper meaning.

_What? Why is she holding my hand?_

"What, no one's held your hand before?" Adrianne asked with a smile. Erwine snapped her eyes back to looking forwards. She wasn't exactly embarrassed, just curious.

She said so, leading Adrianne to reply "Well, I just felt like encouraging friendship between us, I don't have to," Erwine sighed and began to lead Adrianne in the direction of her hab.

_She's an interesting person. Guess the stories I heard of inquisitors being ruthless mass murderers weren't very true._

"Oh by the way, Erwine,"

"Yes?

"I like talking to you, you're the youngest person I've met in a while, take the longest route back."

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><p>The sun had gone down. It was dark. Erwine knew to never be out after dark. She knew she should be scared, but having an inquisitor beside her increased her confidence. At least in terms of safety from people lurking in the darkness. Somehow, Erwine felt that the person beside her would be a bigger threat.<p>

They had spent the last ten minutes discussing Erwine's life. All of it, every little detail. It was very annoying. Erwine did not particularly like exposing all of her secrets to someone she had just met, and was honestly still afraid of.

Adrianne was certainly being very friendly, but that did little to calm Erwine's fears. She was barely keeping herself under control at the moment, as all her instincts that related to her safety were telling her to run screaming in the opposite direction.

Even though Erwine was a magical girl, she understood that Adrianne, whatever she was, was far more powerful. The scared girl also knew that running would not go over well, even if Erwine had the wrong ideas about Adrianne.

So Erwine continued to walk alongside the girl who she had just agreed to follow. Eventually, Adrianne thought that she had learned enough, and stopped asking questions for a time.

But for some reason, Erwine felt that more questions, even more personal than before, would be asked. It was simply a feeling she had in her gut.

"Why were you scared of me?" Adrianne asked. Her tone of voice had become, over the course of the previous conversation, what Erwine considered to be normal for the girl.

But this tone was still one that put a sense of unease into her heart. It was stern, although soft at the same time. It calmed Erwine, but also made her scared. The little girl figured that this was the intended effect.

But the tone that Adrianne now spoke in was quite different from her previous one. The most noticeable fact was that Adrianne seemed worried about why Erwine was so scared of her, which only made Erwine more scared.

"Nevermind," Adrianne then said, "Why are you scared of me?"

The switch to the present tense made Erwine realise how easily Adrianne was reading her, but that realisation did not change the way the girl acted.

Erwine tried to take deep breathes to calm herself, and did not respond. Instead, she stared down at the ground as she walked, mouth only opening to let air out as she breathed.

The inquisitor beside her said, "Erwine, why are you scared of me?"

Her tone was not one of worry, it was now a more annoyed tone. Erwine took a step to the side, continuing to conceal her face from the inquisitor.

Adrianne shook her head. She had been facing forwards the entire time, not once truning to look at Erwine, but now she did turn her head, which revealed a face that seemed to be quite content with the world.

She had a thin smile, and fixed Erwine with a neutral gaze. These facts only reinforced the fear Erwine felt when Adrianne spoke.

She was angry now, her voice was telling Erwine that much. She may have not looked like she was angry, but the evidence was clearly there.

"Erwine," she growled, "Why were you scared of me, why are you cowering in fear right now?"

The girl she spoke to was ready to follow her instincts and run. She was willing to be guided by her fear, but she wanted to stay. Her entire body shook as she continued to stare at the ground.

Eventually, she said, "Because, because you're an inquisitor, and that made me scared, and I still feel uneasy,"

"You've nothing to hide, correct?' Adrianne said. She was happy that she had managed to get an answer out of Erwine, even if it was not much.

Erwine nodded, "I have done nothing wrong," she cofnrimed.

"Then why are you so scared?" Adrianne wondered. She knew that the fact she was an inquisitor had nothing to do with this fear, but she could not say for certain what it was.

"I-I-I just feel uneasy when officials are around me, because they've so much power," Erwine explained. She was beginning to cry, as she tried desperately to think of a way out.

"How did you know I was an official?" Adrianne asked, "In fact, you had no way to know who I was when I found you, so therefore, your fear must have come from something that occurred before I met you,"

Erwine shook her head, "No, what I said is true, please believe me!" she cried.

She did not want to tell Adrianne the truth about the dream. She felt that if she did, then she would be found to be possessed by a daemon, or some horror like that.

Even though it would be better if she spoke, she refused to tell anything to Adrianne. In her eyes, the inquisitor was still the monster who had destroyed a planet and not cared about it.

Erwine took several more steps to the side, distancing herself from Adrianne. She meekly turned her head towards the inquisitor, and saw that she was angry, very angry.

Adrianne took several steps towards Erwine, reaching out with her hand to grab the girl's left shoulder. She forcefully spun Erwine with that hand so that she now faced Adrianne.

"This is the last time," the inquisitor warned, "Tell me the truth,"

Erwine's knees gave way as she screamed in fear. Tears that had long been held back released themselves as she fell to the ground out of fright. She covered her face with her hands as she was caught by Adrianne, who hauled her back to her feet.

As she tried to escape Adrianne's grasp, Erwine shouted, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me, please, I'll tell you what you want to know!"

Adrianne was dumbstruck. _There are many possibilities here, _she thought, _and one of them is more correct than the others. _Her thoughts were that Erwine was either the victim of some form of abuse, from some source, or that she had suffered from another problem that led to this fear.

_Abuse would explain this reaction now, _Adrianne thought, _but not the way she reacted when I first arrived, unless she has been bullied by blonde girl wearing great coats for all her life. _

Knowing the astronomical unlikeliness of that possibility, Adrianne found that she may have an answer.

The inquisitor grabbed Erwine's shoulders with her hands, trying to calm the girl down. She still struggled and fought like a wild animal, desperately clawing at Adrianne in an attempt to escape.

But Adrianne knew almost all the ways magic can be utilized to enhance one's body, and her strength was far beyond that of Erwine's. Even though she was the same size as Erwine, Adrianne could still easily hold her down.

"Erwine!" she shouted, "Calm down!"

Erwine's eyes were wide in fear, and she felt like she was going to pass out from the shock of this seeming attack. "Let me go!" she pleaded, "I'll tell you what you want!"

"I'm not going to hurt you!" Adrianne said. Her voice was stern and commanding, she knew that unless Erwine started lsitneing to her, then she could not be calmed down. "Listen to me!" the inquisitor commanded, "Listen to me now!"

Adrianne guessed that the fear Erwine already felt could easily be exploited, and that seemed to be true, as the girl was shocked into obeying.

She calmed somewhat, but she was still crying as she stood absolutely still, no afraid to move.

Adrianne stared into Erwine's eyes, "I will not hurt you," she said, "Explain to me why you are so scared,"

Erwine shuddered as she stood, but followed the order she was given, "I did not meet you for the first time half an hour ago," she said, "I've seen you before…"

Adrianne frowned, "Where have you met me?" she wondered,

Erwine stared back into Adrianne's eyes, and at first could not speak.

"Just tell me," Adrianne said, "I will not hurt you no matter what,"

"E-e-even if it something that might be bad?" Erwine asked,

"Even if it is that horrible as you make it sound like," Adrianne promised, "Than I am sure that I can solve any problem that comes up because of it,"

Erwine nodded. She took a deep breathe, and whispered, "I first met you in a dream, or something,"

Adrianne's eyes widened, "What happened in this dream?!" she shouted, "Tell me everything, every single detail, no matter how mundane it may seem!"

Erwine was a bit shocked by these shouts, but was willing to explain. She started to recount the dream she had experienced two nights before. She started with what the dark space she found herself in, and then the door.

She told how the door led to what looked like the bridge of a starship, and then what she saw happen. "I saw a planet," Erwine said, "I had no idea what a planet really looked like, as I have never seen pictures,"

"So I had no way to tell which planet I was looking at," Erwine explained, "But I knew that it was this one. Something told me that I was looking down on this planet, on this city, even."

Adrianne nodded, "Then what happened?" she spoke frantically, eager to get answers from Erwine.

"The planet burned," Erwine said, "All of it just lit on fire, all at the same time. The light was so bright that it hurt my eyes, and I had to keep them closed for the first few seconds."

Adrianne's eyes were wide. "Exterminatus," she whispered, "But why here? Unless…"

Erwine wondered, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Adrianne said, Erwine felt she was lying, but there was no proof for her to bring up, so she dropped the thought. "Tell me more,"

"I turned my head, and I saw a girl. This girl wore a coat like you do, but I could only barely make out her face. That face looked somewhat like yours does."

"In what way?" Adrianne was scared now, and that made Erwine horrified.

"It had the same look of determination that yours does," Erwine said, beginning to panic herself, "The same sense that you will succeed no matter what. She also seemed to have the same mysterious air around her that you do."

"So when I saw you earlier, I was so scared, because whoever was in the dream seemed to not care about what happened to this planet, even when it was burning."

Erwine was beginning to cry again, as she remembered the horrific sight of her homeworld being destroyed. It was not a good feeling.

Adrianne said, "Erwine, hold on for just a little while longer, I just need to know one thing. Were you a magical girl?"

Erwine shook her head, "No, because I turned to the other side, and an incubator was there, and it told me that I could save everyone on the planet, if I made a contract with it," she said.

Adrianne nodded, and seemed relieved. "That's good," she said, smiling.

"Why is that good?" Erwine cried, "Why is my dream good? It tells me that you're going to destroy my home!"

Adrianne reached out and embraced Erwine. She pulled the much younger girl close to her and explained in a motherly tone, "That future is an impossibility, because you were not a magical girl. I don't know how you saw that dream, but I can assure you that it will never happen in this universe,"

"Really?" Erwine asked, not minding the position she found herself in.

"Yes," Adrianne confirmed, "It is clear that you contracting now will most likely prevent this event you saw from ever occurring. You somehow saw a future where you never contracted until later."

"I would have recruited you anyways, because you are going to be useful to me," Adrianne explained, "And I would not have pressured you into contracting for a short time, before it became imperative that you do,"

"Because you were not immediately available for what you are needed for, the planet was compromised, and it had to be destroyed."

"But since you are already a magical girl, everything that you saw will never come to pass, understand?"

Erwine nodded, "I understand," she said.

After a minute of silence, in which Erwine realised that Adrianne was not the daemon she thought her to be, she asked, meekly, "Would you really…destroy this planet?"

Adrianne chuckled at this, and gently stroked the back of Erwine's head with her hand, "I would do that, yes, but only if there was no other option. Only if the only way to avert the destruction of other planets was through that, then yes, I would most certainly do that,"

"But only then," Adrianne promised, "We don't go around destroying planets because we feel like it, we must be certain that we are in the right,"

"Thank you," Erwine said, "Thank you for reassuring me, I did not think that you would understand the fear I felt, thinking that you were a kind of daemon,"

"I have lived for a long time," Adrianne said, "I know all the kinds of fear a being with a human mind can experience,"

"Seriously?" Erwine asked,

"Yes, there is a reason I'm good at my job,"

Erwine smiled. But then, her thoughts went to someone she would have to face soon. "Adrianne," she said, backing away.

"Yes, what is it?" the inquisitor crossed her arms in front of her.

"My best friend," Erwine said, "A girl named Nada, I don't understand what is wrong with her,"

"Why?"

"Because she was angry when I hesitated to make a contract, but then got angry at me when I did contract," Erwine said, "I don't understand what she is so scared of,"

Adrianne thought for a long minute, then replied, "I think I do,"

"What?"

"I can't tell you that," Adrianne said, "That would be like cheating, you ought to figure this out on your own,"

"Can you at least give me a hint?"

Adrianne shrugged, "I don't know, I guess that I can,"

She smiled at Erwine, and said, "You follow the same routine every day. You do the exact same things at the exact same times of the day, correct?"

Erwine nodded, wondering where this was going.

"But you do not mind, because you understand that it is a system that works perfectly, as long as everything is doing its job, every piece of the system will be content with it's place."

"But what would happen," Adrianne said, "If a piece of that system goes missing. It gets up and leaves, meaning that the other parts will be stuck behind without that other piece to support them,"

Erwine's eyes widened as the realization came to her. She nodded slowly, "Those other pieces…would be all alone, in a completely different world, simply because one of them left,"

Adriane smiled, "Clever girl,"

Erwine brightened, and excitedly cried, "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me," Adrianne said, "I'm not a person who deserves kindness,"

"Why?" Erwine was confused, "You've been very nice to me,"

"You're not the only person in the universe," Adrianne said. Erwine frowned, not liking where this was going.

"Inquisitors must do many things that they will hate themselves for," she explained, "But we overcome those feelings, as they are…pointless,"

"We should go back now," Adrianne said, she shook her head, "That was close to a long rant, let's get moving before I pick it up again,"

Erwine nodded, somewhat worried by the inquisitor's words. She turned and started to lead Adrianne once more.

Adrianne looked down at the girl, and put on a sad smile. She said nothing, but her thoughts came very close to becoming spoken words.

_I wish that you could be innocent for the rest of your centuries-long life, _the inquisitor thought, _but all of us must learn the truth at some point. _

_But I'm sure that you'll be the one to end all of this, _Adrianne Azure thought, _you will end the crusade I started._

_So stay safe, I will need you._

* * *

><p>A few minutes after they started to move again. Erwine and Adrianne found themselves at Erwine's hab. They climbed up the stairs. Adrianne stopped on the last landing before Erwine's floor.<p>

Erwine turned, "Why did you stop?" She was much calmer than she was before. She was not happy, but she was not scared to death of everything Adrianne death, so that was certainly a positive.

"Because I don't want you to die," was the response from Adrianne.

"Are you joking?" Erwine asked. But she wasn't. Her expression was one of the utmost seriousness.

"I… am not joking Erwine, you will have a hard time saying goodbye, correct?"

"Yes, I will. I'm afraid, but I'll manage."

"Give me your soul gem," Her voice was stern. She was clearly not going to take "no" for an answer. Erwine began to remove her ring and hand it to Adrianne.

"Transformed please," She stated.

"Ok," she tried to transform it and with a flash it converted into its egg-shaped form. Erwine handed it to Adrianne who clutched it tightly in her left hand.

She did not feel worried about giving her soul gem to Adrianne, as she had learned quickly that the girl could be trusted. She was much older than Erwine, after all.

"Go on," Adrianne said.

"Why do you need to hold my soul gem?"

_Why? Is something going to happen to me in there? _Erwine wondered. "The state of our soul gems is affected by our emotions, you _will_ experience significant grief upon saying goodbye." It wasn't a question; this was obviously something Adrianne had done before. Erwine wondered if someone had died while saying goodbye.

"I understand," Erwine responded. She turned and walked up the stairs; Adrianne falling into step behind her.

_I'm going to be strong. I can't cry. I have to show them I'm ready, so they won't worry._

She got to the door, she knocked gently. A second later and the door was flung open. It was her father standing there.

"Hello," Erwine said. Tears were already forming in the corners of her eyes, and she knew immediately that her words to herself were not going to help anything.

Adrianne had walked up beside her, and stood out of the way of the door.

"Where have you…been?" The pause in the words of Erwine's father was certainly caused by his noticing of Adrianne standing there.

"Father," Erwine said, "I'm sorry, but I have contracted,"

"And you've already been taken?" he asked, looking at Adrianne.

Adrianne nodded, extending a gloved hand towards Erwine's father, "My name is Inquisitor Adrianne Azure, your daughter shall be serving me,"

The man began to form tears in his eyes as he shook his head, not responding to Adrianne's hand, "Erwine, why?" he asked, "I wanted you to contract, but the Inquisition, you had to join them?"

He was pushed out of the way by Erwine's mother, who saw the two girls standing there and gasped. "Erwine?" she asked, "You really did it! I knew you would do it!"

Erwine wondered where Nada was. The girl thought she would be excited to see her, but she was not there. She guessed that she might have been too busy moping to notice the commotion.

"Mother," Erwine said, "I am sorry, but I joined the Inquisition, if you did not hear,"

Her mother looked at Adrianne, "This is your master,"

Adrianne nodded, "Yes, I see that you are the parents of Erwine?"

The two people nodded.

"Alright then, I will let you say your goodbyes, we have time, so feel free to take as much as you want,"

Erwine's father looked at Erwine once more, "Why did you have to agree to serve her?"

This made Erwine think. She realised that she did not have to agree to serve Adrianne. She could have waited, and joined a chapter of the Mage Knights, or something else, besides the Inquisition.

She had heard plenty of horror stories about what inquisitors did, and she did not want to take part in those stories. It had just been something about the way Adrianne had acted, despite Erwine's fear of the girl.

It had made sense in those moments that maybe she should join this girl, even though she may have been a sort of daemon. Erwine did not understand her own reasoning, but she did understand that she had agreed to this.

"Father, mother," she said, "I have joined the Inquisition for no reason, Adrianne told me that she wanted me, so I agreed. It is simply the duty that I have, and if I end up regretting the choice, then I will make sure to know that I could have made a better decision,"

"But for now, I am a servant of the Goddess, as we all are, and I should go where I am needed the most," Erwine said, "So that is why I am here with this inquisitor,"

"There you go again," Nada said, she was standing behind Erwin's mother and father, "Being the hero, fighting for the good of everyone,"

She stepped in between the two adults, and walked out to come within a few inches of Erwine. The two girls stared at each other.

"Erwine," Adrianne said, "Perhaps I should go inside with your parents, while you remain here with Nada?"

Erwine nodded, and the inquisitor proceeded to do exactly what she had said she would do.

The hall was silent, and few sounds could be heard. The two girls that stared at each other, as if they were going to fight, both began to feel tears in their eyes.

"I'm sorry," Erwine said, "I don't know what I did to you, but I am so sorry for hurting you. I had no desire to do anything like that,"

Nada smiled. She raised her hand, and slapped Erwine across the face, "That was for not contracting when we made an agreement," she brought her hand back across the other cheek, "That was for contracting without asking me."

Erwine felt that she deserved the pain, but did not quite understand everything, "Why are you mad that I contracted, when you were mad that I did not?"

Nada shook her head, "I don't know," she admitted, "There is so much that I am feeling right now that I don't understand."

Erwine remembered what Adrianne had told her about the reason Nada was so afraid. She felt like she could speak on that, but was unsure.

She decided to be brave, and said, "Nada, do you consider our life a machine that does its job very well?"

Nada shrugged, "We've made the comparison before, why?"

"You are a piece in that machine," Erwine said, "Why are you happy?"

Nada nodded as she caught on. This made Erwine happy, knowing that she had confirmed what Nada's fears were. "Because everything stays the same," Nada said, "Because I know everything that will happen, and even though I have no power, I am quite safe in this machine,"

She continued, "But if a piece goes missing, no, that is wrong. If a piece leaves my part of the machine, to go to a place where it can be of more use, then everything will be changed."

"There are no other pieces to fill the place of the one that left, so I am now alone. Even though I did nearly nothing in the first place, I am now forced to face that fact without knowing that I put a smile on the face of my best friend," Nada explained, "I don't mind being a cog in a machine, but I don't want to be a lonely cog in this machine,"

Erwine nodded, "I know, and I am sorry that I am doing what I must,"

"You should not be," Nada said, "You're going to do great things, and save lots of people. You'll be like a hero, and see all these amazing things, while I'll be stuck here, alone and with no one to see in the morning,"

"Don't worry," Erwine said, "You'll do your part, we're both just cogs, but both of us matter, even if I'm a bigger cog than you are,"

"I know," Nada said, although her voice suggested that she did not like that, "But I wish that I could go to the stars like you are,"

"I wish that I could go to the stars and see all the amazing things out there, to find a place where I could really matter, instead of being here, not knowing what my place in the universe is," Nada said,

"That's why you are angry when I contracted," Erwine said, "Because you knew that I would be getting the thing that you wanted so desperately?"

Nada nodded, "If I could contract, if I had potential, then I would make a wish instantly, and I would be the best I could be," she said, "But unfortunately, I am not a person who is capable of contracting, so I must stay here,"

"Don't worry, Nada," Erwine ordered, "You'll do great things here, you'll be a great person, even without magic,"

"I doubt that," Nada said, "I really do,"

"I don't doubt that," Erwine said, "Because you're a smart person,"

Erwine smiled, "Turn the sadness into determination," she said, "Turn the sorrow you feel into hope that you will achieve even without any form of magic,"

"I'll try," Nada said, "But…it will be hard,"

"I don't doubt that it will be difficult," Erwine said, "But I doubt that you will fail, you've always been stronger than me,"

"Now you're just sweet-talking me," Nada said, "Don't do that,"

"No I'm not, I'm really serious."

"Sure," Nada said, crying, "I'm sure that I'll somehow become a great person here, I'll just somehow become a genius and go from there,"

Erwine took a step forward and gently embraced her friend. She said, "Even if you don't do anything here, even if you live out the rest of your life in this same place, then I can assure you that I will always remember you,"

"When you die, I want you to remember that you're the one who allowed me to get this far, without another cog like you, I never would have kept my sanity," Erwine said, "I will tell everyone who follows me to remember your name, because it is the name of the girl who was with my for so long,"

"I'll tell these followers to tell their followers, when they become inquisitors," Erwine promised, "You will live on, if only as a name. You will live on in the minds of hundreds of people eventually. Maybe even thousands,"

"What?" Nada joked, "You gonna make me a saint or something?"

"Saint Nada the Worthless," Erwine decided, "That has a nice ring to it,"

"The worthless? I thought I had some worth?" Nada complained,

"You do, but that is the point, you call yourself worthless, when in reality you were the one who drove the greatest inquisitor ever!" Erwine declared.

"Now you're sweet-talking me," Nada said.

"I don't know," Erwine said, "Apparently inquisotrs have a lot of power,"

"No one but the Goddess herself can make a saint," Nada said, "So unless she owes you a favor, what you say is not going to happen,"

"True, but I'll do my best anyways," Erwine promised,

Nada pulled away from Erwine, still crying. "Be sure to save a lot of people, alright?" she said, "And don't forget me,"

Erwine nodded, "Of course, maybe one day, I'll have to save you!"

Nada smiled, "I don't know, a lot can happen in our lives," she said.

The two girls stared at each other for a time, until Erwine moved forward and embraced Nada once more. She hugged the girl close, "I'll miss seeing you every morning," she said.

Nada agreed, "I'll miss seeing you." Before she left the embrace, she reached into the pocket of the coat she wore. She removed a small, folded piece of paper. She handed it to Erwine. "Wait to open this until you're off-planet."

They were both constants in the other's lives. Each of them had kept the other sane for so long, and now, they were to be split for what might be forever.

"Please," Nada begged, "If I ever need protecting, the best inquisitor in the universe better know about it,"

Erwine broke off the hug, and walked towards the door, slipping the paper into her pocket as she went, "I'm sure that I will," she promised, "And I'll fix whatever problem there is,"

It took several minutes for Erwine to say goodbye to her parents, who were more content with her going. It made sense, as all parents who had at least one daughter hoped that daughter would have potential, and a reason to contract.

The reasons for this were varied. For those who were rich, it was about prestige. It was a very nice thing to be able to point to a statue of a famous mage knight and talk about how that was your daughter.

However, for those people who were not as well off, it was about the reward for contracting. It was understood by all in the Mage Knights and Inquisition that one less person would mean one less person to make money. Especially if it was a family in a hive city.

In those cases, the family would usually be compensated for their loss in money. It was not a tremendous amount in the terms of one who runs portions of the Imperium, but to a struggling family, it was several times more than enough they needed to get better conditions for themselves.

Adrianne had of course given money to Erwine's parents, and Erwine was happy to see the look on their faces when they received the small pouch, containing a large amount of the sector currency, which was a form of paper notes.

However, Nada was not that happy. Despite her and Erwine's conversation, she was still unhappy. But she would not let Erwine leave seeing that she was unhappy.

So Nada did her best to fake a smile as they said their final goodbyes.

As Erwine and Adrianne walked down the hall, Erwine looked back and saw a smiling Nada.

_I know I'll see her again, _Erwine thought.

She knew that it had to be the truth.

But as soon as they stepped out of the building, Erwine once again broke into tears.

Despite her more hopeful thoughts, she felt that she had been putting on a show to make Nada happy. Now, she revealed her true emotions.

_I'll never see them again. I might die and they won't know. They might die and I won't know._

"You almost died in there," Adrianne said softly. The smile was gone from her face. Erwine turned to her. She let go of her hand.

_Died? What does she mean?_

"What are you talking about?"

Adrianne opened her left hand. The one she wasn't holding Erwine's with. There was Erwine's soul gem. Surrounding it were ten small, black cubes. The cubes were glowing as they surrounded Erwine's gem.

"I burned through these inside, and had we stayed longer, I may have had to get more," Adrianne shifted her eyes from her hand to Erwine's eyes. "Were I not doing this, you would be dead right now."

Erwine's eyes widened in shock. Her breathing sped up. Her heart was racing. Her brain was trying to comprehend what she had just been told.

Adrianne placed her hand on Erwine's shoulder and gripped firmly. "Calm down, Erwine, calm down," But she wouldn't; she was incredibly terrified to the point that she was suddenly questioning her decision to go with this girl.

"But, I'm going to die if I'm just sad?" Erwine cried. Tears streamed down her cheeks making craters in the snow wherever they landed.

"No, that's not true," Adrianne used that calming voice again. It was strange how she did that. Erwine tried to stop crying. But tears kept coming.

"What did you just do, Erwine?" Erwine didn't understand.

_What? What is she trying to do?_

Erwine managed to gasp out "I just said goodbye to my family and my best friend."

"So wouldn't that make you sad and regretful?" Adrianne embraced Erwine with both her arms.

"Yeah, it would,"

"So, therefore, as long as that doesn't happen again could you say that you won't die from sadness?" Erwine suddenly saw the logic. Adrianne was right. This situation might never happen again.

Adrianne was embracing her tightly before she could react. It was the motherly embrace the inquisitor liked to put people into. Erwine did not mind having a caring person like this one act like her mother at times.

"I'd like to say that this happened to me," Adrianne whispered.

"What do you mean?" _Did Adrianne not say goodbye_, Erwine wondered, _what caused that? Did she not have anyone to say goodbye to? _

"I didn't like my parents; I was born into a noble family. The best I would have gotten was to get married off to someone else as part of an alliance or agreement. Becoming a magical girl was the only way out." Adrianne let go of Erwine slowly. She stifled her tears, seeming surprised that she was letting any out at all.

Erwine regained control of her panicking mind, and did her best to stop crying. She knew that it was alright to cry, but she did not want to show any more weakness.

"Well, at least I have a family that I want to say goodbye to." She laughed. It was a slow, soft chuckle at first that slowly evolved into something that resembled the mad cackle of a maniac.

She was scared, and this was her way of letting it out. She had no idea what was going on with her soul gem, and what had happened to it because of what she felt. All she knew was that she could die if she was too sad.

And that scared her to death.

"What have I done?!" exclaimed Erwine, "I say goodbye to the people I love, and leave happy, but then I find out that I may have died there! Because I was feeling sadness!" She fell to her knees, clutching at her head.

She thought Adrianne would look at her as if she was a psychopath. But she was completely unfazed. Adrianne knelt down beside Erwine as the younger girl sat there crying.

The inquisitor placed a hand on the shoulder of Erwine, "You made the right choice," she assured.

"The choice to die-"

Adrianne cut her off, "You do not at all understand what a magical girl is, and that is a problem," she said, "If you come with me now, I will explain everything to you, otherwise, you can sit here in the snow while I replace you and take away all the money I just gave your family,"

"We all have ways of expressing our emotions," Adrianne replied "Some are stranger than others."

"Come on, you have to meet the rest of your team." With that she started walking, still tightly clutching Erwine's hand in her own.

Erwine briefly turned her head back to see her hab unit for one last time and then turned back.

_I have to let go of the past. This is my future now and I will make the best of it and do the most I can. _

Adrianne noticed this "Don't worry about them, they'll be fine and you'll be fine as well,"

"It's just, I don't know how to move on, and clear my head,"

Adrianne chuckled for a second. "Here's an important lesson,"

"What?"

"The only way to move forward is to move forward," Erwine turned her head to Adrianne and put on a puzzled look.

"That doesn't make sense,"

"Yes it does, if you keep thinking about the past, you can't move forwards into the future, just remember that,"

After about 20 minutes of walking. Adrianne finally stopped. "Where did you bring me?" Erwine wondered. Adrianne looked up and turned in a full circle. She seemed to be surveying the area.

"I brought us off of tonight's patrol routes. There shouldn't be anything around here tonight." Adrianne responded. She still glanced about.

_What is he looking for?_

"What do you mean, patrol routes?" Erwine was interested. "What were people patrolling for out here?"

"I'm surprised we didn't run into any a while back," She turned back to Erwine. "I mean wraiths, the things local magical girl teams hunt."

"Oh, I didn't know those existed." Erwine was puzzled. Why didn't they learn of local magical girls? That would be something important to know.

"Good, you shouldn't," Adrianne replied.

"But why?" Erwine asked.

"Let's get off the street first." Adrianne pulled off the ring on her left hand and transformed it into its gem form. With a flash she appeared in her magical girl outfit. She had been wearing it before, but resummoning it simply removed the coat she had been wearing.

The outfit consisted of a long-sleeved leather coat which buttoned up.; colored charcoal. On her hands were fingerless gloves colored red. She had a somewhat short black skirt on, but that was covered by the six long coattails which came down to her feet. On her head was the same kind of hat she was wore with the coat. Her somewhat charcoal soul gem on a gold bracelet going around her wrist. Her hair was still tied back in a ponytail.

"Alright, now you do it," Adrianne said, smiling.

"Ok" Erwine removed her ring from her finger, and transformed it into soul gem mode. Breathing deeply, she intoned it to transform. Instantly, she felt herself stripped of all clothing. She felt her feet and lower legs be covered in silver high-heeled boots. Coming next was a wide knee-length skirt that seemed to have small plates of armor woven into it; it was colored silver-blue. Her torso and arms were covered by a silver-blue blouse whose sleeves stretched to her hands. Her fingers were covered by blue gloves. The blouse and the gloves had the same small plates of armor woven in. She felt a silver cape be attached to her back and finally a crown be placed on her head. It wasn't a very intricate crown. Just a small one with her soul gem in the exact center of it.

"That's pretty," Adrianne commented. "What did you wish for?"

Erwine was annoyed by this. She didn't want to reveal what her wish had been. "Do I have to tell?"

"Yes, you do, it'll be easier to understand you powers that way,"

"Are you sure?" Erwine said ashamedly "I don't really want to reveal something so personal,"

She really did not want to tell her wish. It was very personal to her, and the talk with Nada had made it mean so much more to her. Sharing it would be like sharing her soul itself with Adrianne.

_Well, _Erwine thought, _I already did that, and it was taken care of well, so maybe this is a good idea. _She had to think on it.

But Adrianne did not like this hesitation, "Come on," she said, "It's not like I'm going to tell the whole world about your wish,"

Erwine understood that she should be listening to Adrianne, but found it rather difficult to tell something like this.

Eventually, Erwine nodded, "Alright," she said, "I wished that I was no longer a cog in the machine, to have power and be able to make a difference." She said the last part with a sense of determination that Adrianne had not yet seen in the girl.

"Well then, that's a good wish, it explains the royal and military motifs going on here, you know what your special ability is?"

"What do you mean special ability?" Erwine was beginning to dislike the fast past Adrianne was moving on, both in terms of conversation and movement.

Adrianne didn't respond. Instead she leapt up to the roof of one of the buildings around them. It was about ten feet above the ground. _Come on, Erwine, _she said, _just focus, and magic will do the rest. _

"Alright," Erwine bended her knees and jumped attempting to add some of her magic to the jump. To her surprise she easily leapt up to the roof. Erwine felt a slight spell of dizziness as she looked down,but blinked and turned away from the edge. Adrianne was standing in the middle, looking at Erwine.

"Your special ability," Adrianne explained, "A rather generic name for the specific thing that your magic lets you accomplish, due to your wish for power, I imagine it has to do with controlling people.

Erwine frowned, "I yelled at Nada to respect me, and then...she started to worship me..."

"There you go," Adrianne said, "You're an odd one. Not really classifiable, possibly a subset of telepath, but not exactly. You may have more, so let's wait before we call you anything. But it seems that you cam induce people to follow your commands,"

Erwine was a bit worried. "That's a powerful ability,"

"Use it on me," Adrianne said, "Just something mundane and simple,"

Erwine hesitated, but Adrianne spurred her on, so the girl breathed deeply, and sternly ordered, "Raise your hand,"

Adrianne's arm twtiched, but nothing more, "It's telepathic, so a trained magical girl like myself will be able to resist it more,"

Erwine nodded, not quite understanding anything. She just followed what Adrianne said. "Let's keep moving, more will be explained later,"

Turning around Adrianne leapt away to another building. Erwine sighed and followed her. Adrianne continued until she finally stopped, far from where they started. Gasping, she asked "I asked you two questions, where are my answers?"

"Ok, question one, in every city, town, and village on every planet in the Imperium, there are magical girls who hunt wraiths." Adrianne ran and hopped over to another building. Erwine followed her.

"Wraiths are creatures born of negative human emotions, especially grief. Local girls hunt these wraiths and collect the grief cubes. Most of those are going to be shipped off to the Mage Knights or the Inquisition." Adrianne ran and hopped to another building.

"Where are we going?" Erwine asked. "And what are grief cubes?"

"Forgive the cliché, but you ask too many questions." Adrianne said "One at a time, first of all, we are going to go meet the rest of my team."

"Team?" Erwine asked.

"Yes, team, you'll see." Adrianne had temporarily paused, but now continued jumping from roof to roof. "Now, on with the explanation, grief cubes are what allow us to purify our soul gems, you saw me use some back at your house"

"We keep the patrol girls secret so everyone isn't worried about them, if people knew of these girls, then they would not be able to have as much freedom as they do. The patrollers live relatively normal lives, disguised as a normal members of whatever community or area they are inserted into."

'I understand," Erwine said. She did, it made sense to keep them secret so everyone wouldn't be worried about them every single day. "You also keep wraiths secret so people won't be worried?"

"Exactly, especially because the wraiths will feed on that fear and become stronger." Adrianne said, "The patrol girls also act as the first line of defense against a threat posed by xenos or heretics," They'd gone a long way traveling across the buildings. They seemed to be going towards a small commercial spaceport, closer to the inner city, but still far from anything too important.

"Almost there," Adrianne declared. "In a hive city like this one, there are probably around thirty girls,"

"Really?" Erwine was surprised. Were there people in her school who were also magical girls?

"Yep, you may know one; I'm not sure, honestly,"

"Why haven't we seen any tonight?" Erwine questioned; looking around at the other buildings.

"I ordered the local commander to direct all patrols away from this path, I can handle any wraiths that come," Adrianne responded. Finally, she paused on a building, about seven meters from the low wall of the spaceport Erwine had spotted earlier.

It was a long jump over the wall and into the port, but the height of the building would help. However, as Erwine saw the distance, she started to shiver. Adrianne grinned at her, "Don't worry," the inquisitor said, "It's not like you can actually die from this jump,"

The inquisitor got a running start before leaping through the air. Erwine watched as she sailed through the air to land a few meters in front of the wall. Adrianne somersaulted as she landed, before spinning around to gaze back up at Erwine.

Erwine gasped, her body shaking as she tried to calm herself through deep breaths. She closed her eyes, ran forwards and jumped as she felt herself reach the edge. She understood the need for secrecy and held back the urge to scream in terror, but her stomach turned as she flew through the air.

The landing was rough, both her legs screaming in pain as they impacted, causing Erwine to fall to the ground clutching at her wounded limbs. Adrianne immediately looked concerned, and picked the girl up off the ground. She effortlessly lifted Erwine, even though they were about the same weight, and carried her over to a small shuttlecraft.

"Get used to things like that," Adrianne said, she had looked amused when Erwine first landed, but it was clear that she still cared, "We do it a lot,"

"That's really lovely," Erwine sarcastically said. "I feel like I'll love it here,"

"You will," Adrianne proudly declared, and Erwine could tell the girl was not being sarcastic. Adrianne stopped close to the rear of the shuttle, and after a couple seconds, a long ramp descended form the back, revealing an interior compartment.

A dark-haired woman stood there, staring at Adrianne as she walked up the ramp. "This is the new one?" Airi asked, her voice critical.

"She may have come close to breaking her legs," Adrianne said, as an explanation for the way she carried Erwine, "Don't think I'm the kind of person to hit on someone who's thirty years younger than me,"

"Can you blame me?" Airi asked with a smile.

"I'm not sure who I have to cheat on," Adrianne replied, wary of another girl in the compartment, "But I guess I'll do my best to stay out of anything,"

Erwine was horrified. Her face was petrified in an expression of absolute shock. Adrianne saw this, and asked, "What's wrong, Erwine?"

"Aren't you all part of the Inquisition?" the girl replied.

"Yes," Adrianne confirmed, "And?"

Erwine was put down in one of the chairs on the side of the compartment, and Adrianne started to heal her leg. "Aren't you people supposed to be ruthless, brutal, and…"

"And all the other adjectives people have applied to us?" Airi asked, before shaking her head, "Turns it we're still magical girls, just like the glorious mage knights,"

Adrianne looked up, "Don't expect to find what you've heard about. Most of that is born from the more ruthless inquisitors, whose tales are more widely known,"

Erwine nodded, before taking a deep breath, mostly out of relief. "Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not widely known," Adrianne said with a mischievous grin.

Erwine tipped her head back, staring upwards, and wondering what the world truly was like. _I guess that I get to learn about that now. _

But still, Erwine wondered if even what she saw now was nothing more than illusions hiding truths more deeply buried than most.

* * *

><p>The process of introducing a new magical girl to the various things she must know of and understand is a very important one. The proper speed must be used for each individual girl, lest her upbringing be ruined. She must not suffer too much, but she must understand the universe quickly, or else she will have far too many false hopes to ever be useful.<p>

It is recommended for everyone that the process begin about a week after she contracts, during which time she will get used to know everyone she needs to know, and feel comfortable in front of them all. Starting immediately could completely ruin a girl, and would most likely make her into something even less useful than a girl with too many hopes.

-Excerpt from Lord Inquisitor Avalina Jolian's paper _The Raising of a Contractee. _

* * *

><p><strong>This basically ends the beginning of the beginning of the beginning, but there's a lot more before even the first volume is finished. Next chapter will have more happening, the first few chapters are just people talking. <strong>


	4. The First of the Revelations

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I couldn't find a natural break in the next few parts, and didn't want to make things too clunky, so the next update will be larger. **

* * *

><p>The beginning of the Great Crusade and of the Goddess's Reign saw the creation of a great new law that all would follow without doubt. This law stated that machines could no longer be powered by the soul of a magical girl, even if they were willing to have this done. Such activities had brought the end of civilization during the Golden Age of Magic, and such an event could never happen again.<p>

-Excerpt from _History of the Imperium Volume 1, _by the Ordo Hereticus as issued to inquisitors.

From this day forth, no human, magical girl, or any other being may create a machine of any kind which receives its power, even partially, from the soul of a magical girl. Not even the smallest fraction may come from a soul gem. If such a machine is created, than the machine shall be annihilated, the creator killed, and those who knew the creator shall also be under suspicion and may face punishment. This law is as established by Her Majesty The Empress of the Imperium of Mankind, may her glorious kingdom stand forever.

-Excerpt from the Decree of Terra

* * *

><p>The planet of Siothea had a long history, one that was not entirely known by anyone in the Imperium. Certainly, some traitors who were alive during the heresy would know, but of course, they were usually unwilling to speak with anyone who wanted to know.<p>

In the dark times of the pre-Imperial era, Siothea was a luscious jungle planet. It did have a mineral-rich crust, but no one wanted to exploit that. The reason for this was that the inhabitants of Siothea were under threat from a system that had managed to maintain limited spaceflight.

They knew that if they revealed the existence of large amounts of precious metals, then they would surely come under attack from this nearby system.

So they kept the secret for hundreds of years, which also helped to preserve the pristine nature of the planet itself. It was technically under the control of the nearby warlord, but due to his limited spaceflight, it was hard to enforce this rule, especially when the other planet saw no reason to truly care about the planet.

When the Great Crusade occurred, the planet was freed, and gladly accepted the rule of the Imperium. But the people soon discovered that the Imperium was intent on mining out the world' resources, needing such things to continue the Crusade.

And so the original inhabitants of the planet were torn into two factions. The first were the ones who denied the Imperium, wanting to keep the planet the quiet backwater it had always been. The others wanted to support the mining, understanding that the Crusade was far greater than any one planet, and that sacrifices had to be made.

But the latter faction was the weakest, and so what was then the Imperial Army had to be deployed to defeat the rebels. They did this quickly and efficiently, but were forced to stay because of the continued unrest.

When the Heresy began, traitor forces launched an attack on the sector. In particular, they targeted Siothea, for it had many resources yet to be claimed.

The Imperial Army forces onplanet resisted around fifty traitor knights for three days straight, before being relieved by loyalist knights.

But the traitors realized the untenable nature of their situation, and attempted to breach the barriers between the material world and the warp. Before their rituals could be finished, they were orbitally bombarded, and the planet's jungles were destroyed.

After that, the Imperium moved back in years later to reclaim the now desolate planet. No attempt was made to terraform the planet, as little technology existed that was capable of doing such things.

The atmosphere still existed, and in fact, the lack of the jungles made it easier to extract the minerals in the ground. Great hive cities went up, and Siothea was made into the planet it was in the 31st millennium.

So that was part of the story of the planet Siothea.

That was both the beginning, and the middle, of its long life.

But its end shall not come for quite some time.

* * *

><p>Erwine had always wondered what her world would look liked from the air. She'd dreamed of the sprawling cities and the beautiful plains that lay outside them. She had hoped that they would be beautiful.<p>

_Why had I ever thought that? Was it because of my environment? I feel like I'm too hopeful sometimes. _These particular thoughts ran through her head because of what she currently saw. The actual look of the planet was very different from what she'd dreamed.

The hives were not very beautiful; even from high up. They were ugly masses of dark metal that towered into the sky. She knew that the hives also sank deep into the planet's crust as well. And all this…for what? The hives seemed like they were just proof of humanity's ability to conquer nature.

The plains outside of the hives were desolate stretches of wasteland. Except for the occasional town that connected back to the cities via maglev lines, the plains only features were mountains and valleys. The plains were inhabited by native creatures, but devoid of human presence.

Erwine knew that was good. She'd heard of entire worlds that were one massive hive complex. The planets were literally like massive beehives. Erwine was happy Siothea was not one of these cases.

She turned away from the window to look at Adrianne. The two of them were sitting in the passenger hold of the ship. Adrianne called it the "yacht". Erwine had no idea what a "yacht" was or if it even related to the ship.

It consisted of a main body, and two pods off to either side of the rear. The main body was flat in the rear, but the sides curved to make the front consist of an arc rather than a line. The main body was about eight meters long, and about four meters wide.

Each of the pods started five meters from the front, and stretched for eight meters towards the rear, meaning that they stuck out from the ship. Four meters of their length were devoted to additional engines, while the rest seemed to be storage space. The pods were two meters wide, and Erwine had no idea what might be stored there.

The interior design of the main body was simple. The rearmost room was storage, and was two meters long. The compartment after that was four meters long, and was a seating area. Two rows of seats were on either side.

The cockpit was in the front, and was two meters long. Erwine had yet to see that, but she had been told that was what was up there.

Erwine could see why Adrianne had a liking for it.

Erwine had no idea how fast it was going, but the landscape was racing by at an incredible rate. She could never pick out individual features of the landscape, and everything seemed to devolve into a single blurred line.

The land was very far below the ship, so it was not like she would have seen much anyways. Clouds commonly obscured Erwine's view from the window, but she did not care, as she was never missing much.

Adrianne noticed her movement and asked "Admiring the view?" Adrianne seemed a lot more relaxed now. She sat with her arms resting on the backs of the seats to either side of her and with her legs crossed. She was clearly enjoying herself.

There was another girl in the room. She was more somber than Adrianne. She sat with her arms crossed across her chest and her legs crossed as well. But the look on her face was one of deep contemplation. Her blond hair reached down past her shoulders a few inches down her arm. Her green eyes covered by the glasses she wore stared out the window on the other side of the cabin.

She was wearing a dark black scarf around her neck. She also had a great coat on, colored dark blue with white patterns sewn into it. On her legs was a skirt that ended a few inches above the knees. It was colored in alternating strips of blue and white. Her hands had bright blue gloves on them. The coat was buttoned to cover the lower half of the torso and just past the waist; the coat was unbuttoned at the top so her chest was visible. Judging from what Erwine could see of the girls' chest she wore another lighter coat that was colored lighter blue than the trench coat. Her soul gem could be seen on her chest attached to the middle of the lighter blue coat. It was in the chest of an eagle pattern that was sewn into the lighter coat.

Her name was apparently Laelia Aemilina. Erwine had no idea what kind of name that was. She'd never heard of even the most extravagant nobles having a name like that. But apparently Laelia was no noble girl. Or at least that's what Erwine guessed from the way the girl carried herself. Erwine had only seen her for about thirty minutes and she didn't act as stuck up as Erwine thought she would with a name like that.

Erwine realized Adrianne had asked her a question and nodded in response. "It's a lot different than what I thought," Erwine said nodding to the plains below.

"Yep, what do you know about the history of the world?" Adrianne wondered.

"I know that it was a point of conflict during the Heresy," Erwine took care not to say whose heresy it was.

"That's all?" Adrianne sighed. "Well here's a history lesson for you, these plains used to be rather fertile and filled with forests, despite the pollution of the hives, but orbital bombardment conducted by Imperial forces ended that,"

"Really?" Erwine was surprised; she didn't know the fighting was _that _major. "I had no idea!"

"Of course, wouldn't want anyone, especially teenage girls questioning their place in society," Adrianne replied. She seemed serious too. _That's strange. She's seemed rather sympathetic up until now._

"What do you think about the state of the Imperium, Adrianne?" Erwine asked. She instantly regretted asking. She wasn't sure if Adrianne would be angry.

But the Inquisitor just shrugged and said "What I think? I think that we need to reevaluate the strategy of burning worlds when we don't feel like trying hard enough, but don't tell _anyone _I said that,"

Erwine was shocked by this answer. She had been told that exterminatus, whatever that name meant, was not something that was done lightly. But what Adrianne said made her believe otherwise.

"What is it? Never heard of the concept of Exterminatus?" Adrianne questioned. "I know you have, because that is what you say in your dream." She then explained the reason for it, "If a planet is occupied by forces that must be immediately and completely controlled, and are too strong for any conventional army, an inquisitor may order Exterminatus on the world, which is conducted through a variety of ways, but in the end, everything on the planet dies." Erwine gulped. She remembered the dream she had.

"It's a horrifically, beautiful sight," Erwine's head turned to the side as Laelia spoke for the first time in Erwine's presence. Or rather, didn't speak, but communicate in some form. Her eyes narrowed and she began to move to the left, suddenly worried about the girl's sanity. She was also at the same realizing she experienced the exact same feelings in her dream.

"And there's Laelia with the morbid commentary," chuckled Adrianne. She shook her head as she laughed, more at Erwine's reaction then what Laelia said. "I apologize for her in advance, Erwine; you'll find she's incapable of smiling,"

Laelia then immediately proceeded to turn her head to Erwine and smiled. "And Erwine, you'll find that I'm the smartest person around here."

"Oh, that hurt, Laelia," Adrianne made a show of crossing her arms and frowning. Erwine was extremely confused; she didn't really understand the relationships in the group, even between her and Adrianne. She said as such and Adrianne replied.

"Well, we certainly do like to have fun, but we do become serious when we're in a operation, this has to do with the fact that in the end, we all got mixed up in this odd world when we were thirteen or fourteen years old," Adrianne explained. She got a look of sadness in her eyes. "That's another thing I wish is different,"

"What?"

"That we didn't have to contract at such a young age, I mean, humanity would be long dead by now if it weren't for us, but I wish it could be different." Adrianne looked down at the floor. She seemed as if she was about to cry.

"Is that why, you all act so…?" Erwine asked, wanting to know why everyone acted like teenagers even though Erwine knew they weren't.

"Childish? Yes, it is, we all have our own ways of coping with this universe, and for many magical girls, it's acting like we were before we signed up to fight an eternal crusade."

"I'm sorry," Erwine said. This scared her. Was Adrianne just like she is? Did she enter this world, unsure and asking questions, thinking she can be great? Only to turn into a hardened killer? It shook Erwine to her core, simplu thinking about such an occurrence. _Adrianne can't be like that, _Erwine decided.

"You did nothing wrong" Adrianne said reassuringly "I-I just-" before she could say anything she broke into tears. Erwine got up and went to comfort her, but was stopped by Laelia. The other girl paused and a second later, Airi came in.

Erwine was even more worried. This was clearly more than just what Erwine brought up. Obviously something from her past had been brought up by the conversation.

Airi looked at Adrianne and then at Erwine. "You should go up front," she said. "Sorry," she added afterwards. Erwine took one last look at Adrianne before she began to walk forwards. Laelia sat down next to Adrianne and put a hand on her shoulder. Erwine wanted to stay, but knew that she should go.

* * *

><p>Erwine had wondered what the final member of the team would be like. She couldn't place Adrianne's personality, Airi was cheerful and obedient, and Laelia was clever and somber. But Ayelen Nita was less of a personality type and more an indescribable force of nature, at least in Erwine's opinion.<p>

Ayelen made Airi look like a mortician. It was that simple. She was obviously a very useful person, as Erwine believed she would drive Adrianne or especially Laelia completely insane. She went on long speeches about the glories or certain pastries or sweets and then switch topic in the middle of a sentence to her favorite operas by people Erwine had never heard of.

In terms of her physical appearance, the first thing Erwine noticed was her hazelnut hair. It was split in the back with the rest pulled to both sides and tied in braids. The lime-green soul gem of the girl could be seen as being one of those braids. Those braids reached down to her waists. Erwine wondered how much hair the girl had.

Her magical girl outfit consisted of a long sleeved _very frilly, _greencoat. The collar, which was frilled, went up to the top of her neck and curved up the bottom of her head. The sleeves, whose ends were frilled, ended at the knuckles leaving her hands uncovered. The bottom of the coat went down to her thighs and ended in more frills. But that coat was only below another smaller, sleeveless, also green coat with _even more _frills. Her green skirt reached below her knees and was multilayered with each layer featuring _more Goddess-damned frills!_ The rest of her legs were covered by knee-high green boots who had no frills, strangely enough.

_I'm going to refer to that outfit as frill hell. Because that is what it is. _

Erwine was fairly certain Ayelen would never stop talking. When she'd finally had enough of the chatter, Erwine cut in mid-sentence "Would you please let me speak?" She cried out.

"Of course!" Ayelen exclaimed. She instantly ceased talking and gesturing with her hands and leaned back into the control seat she was in.

Erwine suddenly realized she had no idea what to say. All she wanted was for Ayelen to stop talking. After a minute of awkward silence she finally found something worth saying.

"Why did they send me up here" she asked "What's wrong with Adrianne?"

Ayelen got a more serious look on her face. She looked straight into Erwine's eyes and took a deep breath. "Adrianne has a rather bad history, I won't say anything about it because she'll want to tell you when she's ready, but don't push her about it," She breathed out and looked at the floor.

"That seems kind of stereotypical," Erwine replied. She didn't mean any insult, it was just that was what she'd always thought of when she thought about people with duties like Inquisitors.

"Have you ever read a fictional novel?" Ayelen asked.

"Yes, I have, several," Erwine replied, wondering where the conversation was going.

"Well then, you'll find it is considered a cliché in literature to have a main character have a dark past. However, that cliché is commonly proven true by many people in this odd world," she looked up at Erwine again.

"I understand," Erwine said. "Do they do this with every new member?"

"I don't know, I used to be the newest until you, so I have no idea how they operated before," Ayelen replied. She then turned to face the windows again. They were both silent for a long minute before either of them spoke again. Erwine decided to ask another question to pass the time and take her mind off of Adrianne.

"What is your magic specialty?"

Ayelen's face lit up. She began to speak in her usual fast manner. "Oh! Me? I'm a healer!" She jumped up and stuck her arm out. A flash later, and she was holding a long javelin in her hand.

"I summon these," she explained.

Erwine nodded "So healing is all you do?"

"Yes, but it's a different kind of healing," Ayelen explained, "I'm really only classified under healer, because that's what I'm the most like. It's hard to explain, I'l just show you,"

Erwine realized what Ayelen was implying, and the gears clicked in time for her to scream, "No need to-ahhh!"Ayelen responded by stabbing the spear into Erwine's shoulder. Erwine almost screamed but realized there was no pain. She turned her head to see the shoulder and saw the spear impaling her shoulder. She looked questioningly at Ayelen, all thoughts of criticizing the girl for stabbing her forgotten.

"My healing affects only the nerves, I can vary the level of pain one feels," she explained in her cheerful voice. "Do you get it?" Erwine realized one of the connotations of that question and immediately responded.

"Yes! Yes, I do understand! Please don't give me an example," Ayelen smiled and nodded and pulled the spear out of Erwine's arm and with a flash, dissipated it. Of course, as soon as the spear came out Erwine felt the full force of the pain. She screamed, only to come to a stop as soon as Ayelen laid her hand on the shoulder.

"See how useful it is? I'm sure you were wondering why they keep me around and that is why, mainly cause Laelia can't stand any pain, but don't' tell her that," Ayelen laughed and hopped back to her seat, leaving Erwine clutching her shoulder as the pain returned.

'You're a lovely person," Erwine grunted. She was managing the pain now, as her healing kicked in, but it still hurt a lot.

"Isn't she?" said a voice as the door opened. Laelia walked in to stand in between the two chairs. She seemed more somber than in the passenger compartment.

"Laelia!" Ayelen shouted and jumped up to hug the other girl. Laelia proceeded to generate a barrier directly In front of Ayelen's face as she jumped up. The frill-covered girl smacked her face on the magical wall and fell back into her seat.

Erwine was becoming seriously worried. She was of the belief she had been recruited by an inquisitor, but found herself surrounded by people who seemed to take nothing seriously. She understood what Adrianne had just told her, but Erwine suspected that they must have some serious psychological issues.

"Why did you come up here?" Erwine asked, still clutching her bleeding shoulder.

Laelia looked at the shoulder and sighed "Ayelen, introducing yourself by stabbing someone is not a good idea,"

"I know that!" Ayelen said matter-of-factly "I wasn't introducing myself; I was showing Erwine my magical ability!" She seemed proud that she proved Laelia wrong.

"I apologize for her, Erwine; I think she was dropped on the head as a child." Laelia teased. Erwine chuckled, her shoulder having completely healed finally. She looked out the window and saw a huge city far below them, which looked familiar.

"Look, there's our destination," Ayelen said, pointing at the city. Erwine was shocked; she knew it wasn't her home, but it looked similar. But from what she knew of hive cities, not any concern was put into aesthetics.

Ayelen took the controls of the ship and began to descend towards the city. Erwine was surprised Ayelen was the one who flew the ship. She'd thought it would be Airi or Laelia, not Ayelen.

But the girl showed great skill at handling the ship through the hundreds of others approaching the hive. Erwine could only stare in awe at the sheer number of craft coming in and out of the city. "Impressed?" Laelia asked. Erwine nodded.

"This is nothing compared to more industrialized planets," Erwine knew what Laelia spoke of. The true hive worlds, stretching kilometers into the crust and kilometers into the sky. And the forge worlds, planet-sized factories that never ceased building. Compared to those kinds of planets, Siothea was nothing.

"What are we doing here?" Erwine asked. She turned her head as the door opened again. Laelia stepped to the right as Adrianne entered the room with Airi walking beside on the left.

"Here," Adrianne began, smiling proudly at the city "Here, your service truly begins,"

* * *

><p>Erwine had returned to the main compartment when she was told to. Adrianne told her to wait there, as she will not be doing much for some time. Laelia offered to give Erwine one of her many books she had.<p>

It was an offer that Erwine gladly accepted. So she sat there for a few minutes, beginning to read a fiction novel, when two people she did not recognise walked in. They were headed for the door.

Laelia paid no attention to them, continuing to read her book, while Erwine was amazed. She had no idea where they came from, as there were no doors anywhere but in the main compartment.

"Who are you people?" she hesitantly asked.

One of them was a woman, who must have been nineteen or twenty. She had long brown hair, which was tied in a bun on the back of her head. She wore a long, black dress, and looked ready to go to a fancy party.

The other one was a woman of similar age, and wore a long dress as well. But she had gold hair that flowed loosely, and her dress was covered in…frills?

It looked like a more formal version of Ayelen's magical girl uniform.

The one with golden hair turned to Erwine, and spoke in a rather deep, mature voice. She said, "We're Ayelen and Airi, of course!"

Erwine shook her head. She thought that she had fallen asleep during the time she was sitting in the chair.

"But…" Erwine began, then said, "You're older,"

"They're not in their own bodies," Adrianne walked in and said this, coming from the cockpit, "They swapped with some of the bodies we keep in the storage bays,"

Erwine felt like she suddenly the victim of a cruel joke. "But…you can't just move yourself from-"

"Yes you can," the brunette said, in a more high-pitched voice. Her tone said that she did not like being in a body with such a voice. Their voices were certainly not native.

"How?" Erwine asked.

"I'll explain it to you right now,' Adrianne promised, then to Airi and Ayelen, "Go on, you've work to do,"

The two girls nodded, and left the ship.

Erwine continued to stare at the door in awe for a full minute after they left. Adrianne sat down across from her, and looked at her, "Well, you have questions, I'm certain, so ask away,"

* * *

><p>A human's soul was not just a thing that could be exploited to use magic. It was far more than that. It contained the entirety of one's consciousness inside it.<p>

When a normal human dies, their soul leaves their body. A magical girl is capable of attaching her soul to another human's body, so that the girl may then control that body as if it were theirs all along.

This is best explained in a simple manner, as the research that led to this discovery was very long and complex.

The basics are that the human body is nothing more than a shell for one's soul. If one figures out how to move one's soul into an external location, and then into a soulless body, then they will have discovered how to switch bodies with another human.

However, the manipulation of soul's through human hands is strictly forbidden within the Imperium, and all those who do it are considered to be heretics. A few have come close to discovering how to move one's soul, but none have truly discovered the process.

This means that only magical girls can swap bodies. And it is only because of their magic that they can do it so quickly. If a human wanted to do it, it would take large amounts of time to do it, because of the fact that humans have no idea where the soul is.

Only the more radical inquisitors possess the knowledge of where one can find the soul of a human. And even then, they closely guard the information.

The fact is also known by xenos races, such as the Eldar and the Incubators. The incubators of course know the information because of the fact that they are embodiments of the will of the Goddess. Calling them xenos is of course a common error.

The Eldar discovered the fact after much experimentation, but their processes are not well known to even the most radical, most well-informed inquisitors.

It was not till long the establishment of Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition when the ability to swap bodies was discovered. The Heresy was still fresh in the minds of the Imperium for a millennia, and no such experimentation with the nature of the soul was allowed.

The ideas of radicals and puritans had not existed yet, as most of the Inquisition was puritans, and all radicals were quickly caught, tortured for information, and killed.

But in the 23rd Millenium, it was realised that the idea of little girls being veiled threats had firmly rooted itself in the minds of those who would break the law.

A way was needed to quickly change one's appearance, possibly in the space of an hour or less. Magical girls did have absolute control over their bodies, and could of course age themselves, but that could take days based on the age they needed to be.

For example, a girl in the body of a fourteen-year old could take half a day to age into a nineteen-year old. If they wanted to be thirty, then it would take a day.

If they wanted to be forty, then it could take two days, and so on. It simply took far too long to catch criminals before they stopped their activities, moved elsewhere, or heightened security.

So the growing population of radicals added the idea of body swapping to the list of areas they proposed to research. After a large amount of political and physical conflict, the radicals won the argument.

They began their research immediately, leading directly to several innovations. The ones known more widely were the discoveries that telepathy-based magic was not heretical as people thought.

That event mattered a large amount to the Inquisition, as it mean telepaths could be wildly implemented into the Inquisition, and that made many girl's lives a lot easier.

Hhowever, such an issue was a sideshow at that point. Body swapping was more widely opposed than the use of telepaths was. The reason for this was simple: many people believed that we were given the bodies we were for a reason. If we could just move our souls at will, then what was to prevent the atrocities of the Dark Age of Magic from occurring once more?

But the radical supporters of the idea proved that despite the fact that the soul could be moved quite easily, it could not power any machines, unless they were especially designed to be powered by a soul.

Therefore, the laws against soul-powered machines would not be violated unless there was a large violation, which would involve more than just one rogue girl.

This did much to calm the opposition, although the radicals were still harassed for the rest of their lives. Half of the girls involved in the operation research were killed, half of those died from torture, and two girls suffered fates that no one was thought to deserve.

This led to an investigation by the more neutral inquisitors, which found around fifty puritan inquisitors guilty of conspiring to kill the radical researchers. They were all executed for their crimes, and their bodies were burned, to prevent their souls from returning in the eventual case of Her Holy Majesty's reincarnation.

As it turned out, many other puritans were found guilty as well. Their crimes are not known of, because of the fact that they were very important, and could not be executed for what might have been a good idea.

So they had their rights restricted, and were kept under close watch for the rest of their lives.

The entire incident did lead to the advancement of the Imperium's understanding of the soul and its uses, but it also showed the glaring weaknesses in the way the Inquisition was fighting itself.

If such infighting continued, then there was going to be no chance of the organization being able to continue to protect the Imperium.

So a clear boundary was established between the puritans and the radicals, which gave birth to the two sides as they were known in later years.

Many small ordos were also established to police the Inquisition as a whole.

But what mattered in the end, at least in this context, was the fact that body swapping was now a very legal activity among magical only took half an hour to make the switch, and it was very simple.

One must simply place the magical girl's body next to the body she is swapping to. In fact, they don't even have to be close to each other. It works best if the magical girl's body is outside the one hundred meter range.

After that, the soul gem of the girl must be placed on the body it is going to possess. The girl will then focus on entering the new body, making the necessary neural connections.

Slowly, the magical girl's mind and soul shall enter the new body, and when it is done, the girl will be in complete control of the new body.

It works best if the original body is outside the hundred meter control range, after the initial connection is made. This is because it will force the soul to make the switch faster.

The only downside is that if the body of a boy or man is entered, then all magic powers will be lost. The reason for this was unknown, but it is believed to have to do with the reasons magical girls have their power in the first place.

Many interesting things have occurred because of this ability. The first of which is that the Inquisition may now enter different bodies, in order to better investigate suspects. All kinds of criminals keep careful watch for teenage girls, but do not expect that the five year old and what looks to be her mother are actually a pair of Inquisitorial officials.

Of course, magical girls do use this for other things besides what their job is. Magical girls are literally powered by their moral, so they are commonly given breaks, no matter what they are.

This means that they have plenty of time to relax, and converse with their comrades. On many occasions, girls have occupied the bodies of men, simply to have sexual relations with one of their partners, because neither of them are attracted to women.

It was a strange practice, but one that made a kind of sense in retrospect.

It was only one of the many strange things girls would use this power for.

But overall, the ability to swap bodies was used mainly by the Inquisition. Sometimes, girls were brought into cases because their body was needed.

It also led to situations that could be considered unfavorable. If a body was needed, but no dead ones matching the need could be found, Inquisitors would sometimes order the killing of an individual that could fit the requirements.

This is because one cannot swap with any body. Normal humans have no way to remove their soul, so one must place the soul of a magical girl in a dead body.

Even though the body is dead, it can be healed by the magic of the girl once it was inhabited. Or another girl, as that is how girls possess male bodies.

So really, it was not swapping souls, it was more like placing a soul in a soulless body.

That was one of the main reasons for the opposition to be opposed to the idea. Because whenever you were getting a new body to use, you would have to rob a grave.

It was considered a defilement of the bodies and the people who once occupied them.

But the radicals responded with the opposite.

The people had died in the service of the Goddess. They had worked for the Imperium all their lives, and their souls were now given the luxury of eternal rest.

And their bodies were now given the honor of serving the Goddess once more, in a way that none of them had ever served before.

It was an honor, they all said.

And besides, who should care? The Inquisition was created to do things no one else was allowed to do. It had no boundaries, because that is what is was made to have.

It was supposed to be the ultimate police force. A police force that no one but the Goddess herself could command.

They did what others could not.

Others could not rob the graves of their peers.

So then, why could the Inquisition not do so?

And not for any malicious purpose.

It was in the name of the Goddess.

It was in the name of Hope.

* * *

><p>Erwine's eyes were wide. "They were in different bodies," she said, astonished, "What…how…did they do that?" The girl was trembling, her entire body was shaking in fright, and a growing sense of horror was inside of her.<p>

Adrianne sighed, "You shall not like it if I explain, but I must explain at some point," she said, crossing her arms, and staring into Erwine's eyes. The inquisitor was silent as the girl across from her shook in fright, and the young girl was even more scared by the glare that Adrianne gave her.

In an instant, that glare was gone. All hints of scrutiny and intimidation had disappeared from Adrianne's face, and all that remained was pity. "I don't want to do this," she admitted, "But I must,"

Taking a deep breath, she smiled sadly, removing her soul gem from where it was on her hand. Holding it up, she explained, "This is my soul." She pointed to the gem in the small tiara on Erwine's head, "That is your soul," she said.

Erwine shook her head. She kept shaking it, back and forth. "No, no, no," she said, "This is not how it is supposed to be, it's not at all how it's supposed to be,"

She started to tear up, her hands going to her face, covering her eyes as she tried to stifle her tears. "They took my soul from me?" she said, "It's not in my body anymore?" Erwine tore her hands from her face, and stood up, "What am I?!"

Adrianne did not move from where she was. She continued to smile sadly, and answered, "You are a lich, that is the term used to identify the creature a girl becomes when she contracts,"

Erwine shook her head, "I'm a human, a soul gem is just a source of power. That's what everyone said, that's what I was always told!"

"I've already showed you how humans are lied to in order to preserve the safety of the Imperium," Adrianne said, "Would you have contracted had you known that you would no longer be human?"

Erwine shook her head, and opened her mouth to say something more. Adrianne stood up, and a stomp of her foot upon the metal floor shocked Erwine into shutting up. The younger girl took a step back in the face of the older inquisitor. "You are still a magical girl," Adrianne said, "You still have duties, duties that you cannot back down from, so I expect you to overcome this, as we all have,"

"But you did not have to lie to me!" Erwine shouted, "You did not have to lie, telling me that I would be a hero, and that I would save so many, only to turn me into something else!"

Adrianne brought her right hand up and slapped Erwine's face with the back of her hand. The blow was hard enough to knock the girl back into her seat, where she sat looking up at Adrianne in shock.

"You are a fool," Adrianne said, "I never lied to you. No one ever lied to you. The topic of what type of creature you would become was never brought up by anyone, not even yourself."

Erwine's mouth opened, but Adrianne stepped forwards. The inquisitor's right fist twisted Erwine's head to the side. "You still have a chance to be a hero, to save thousands and thousands, if not millions," Adrianne growled, "You still have that chance, but no one has time for your complaints,"

Erwine stared defiantly at Adrianne, trying to display a sense of not backing down. It did not work, and Adrianne easily saw that Erwine was lying to herself. "You act courageously against me?" Adrianne asked with a smile, then growled, "Then act courageously against the fear you are feeling now!"

Erwine had things to say, but none of them left her mouth. Both of her cheeks still throbbed with pain from the blows she had been dealt, and there was no desire within her to experience anymore pain.

"I am an inquisitor, and one day, you may be an inquisitor as well!" Adrianne shouted, leaning down and directing her voice straight at Erwine. Her eyes bored into the girl's soul, and although Erwine knew her soul was on her head, it still seemed like Adrianne was staring right into it.

The inquisitor continued, her anger growing by the second, "That means that we both have responsibilities that we must respect. We cannot shrink away from our duties because we have become someone else!"

"The Imperium is composed of over two million planets!" Adrianne shouted, standing up straight, "And on those planets lives countless hundreds of trillions of people, and millions of those people die every day from the countless forces which threaten the Imperium from within and without!"

"It is our job to protect those countless numbers of innocent lives, even though we are not part of their race anymore!" Adrianne turned around, taking deep rbeaths to calm herself, "We must fight for them, and we must suffer for them, and we must die for them, because that is our duty as magical girls, and as members of Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition,"

"I don't care what you are scared of, or what you regret, and neither does anyone else in the entire galaxy, save the Goddess herself. She cares for us, and you must understand that in the end, you will still have hope," Adrianne said these words sternly, but Erwine sensed that there was more. She certainly said her words to Erwine as if they were true, but did she truly believe them? Did she just want to give Erwine some kind of hope? As Erwine sensed that what she was hearing was not being believed by the person who was speaking.

Erwine wanted to nod. She wanted to just agree with Adrianne and be alone in her sorrow. Trying to talk to the inquisitor anymore would clearly do nothing to help anything. So Erwine nodded, and said, "I understand." She tried to put as much sincerity into her words as she possibly could, but she was never a good liar.

Adrianne sat down next to the girl. She was a seat away, but Erwine still found it rather close. "What is it?" she asked, trying to act genuinely confused, as if it was not obvious that Adrianne had seen through Erwine's poor attempt to deceive her.

"I've been a magical girl for a long time," Adrianne explained, "I've been fighting this war for about fifty years now. Were I a human, then I would be or old by now, and not very useful to anyone."

"But I'm what's called a lich, and so are you. I didn't expect to become this either, and I did not like learning of it. So I cannot blame you for your sorrow, and I should not be too harsh on you." Adrianne sighed, then her voice became more serious, "But you are far too important to not do this to,"

"What do you mean?" Erwine asked, "You keep acting like I'm important, but here I am, crying about a fact that I, nor anyone else, cannot change?"

"You are important because you a strong girl, and you learn quickly," Adrianne said, "You see reason easily when it is put before you, and you have a drive that I do not see even in myself,"

The inquisitor stood up. She turned to look down the room at the door leading to the cockpit. She reached out with her left hand and patted Erwine on the head, "I promise you that you'll get over this. I did, as did every other magical girl you've seen so far. You're stronger than you think, trust me,"

Adrianne walked towards the cockpit, opening and then entering through the door as she approached. Erwine watched her go, and then fell silent. She leaned back against her chair, and said nothing more. She was still crying softly, but she did not feel like making a bid deal about her condition.

Not after what Adrianne had done, and how she had reacted. It had made Erwine scared. She did not want to be scared of the person she was serving, not after the way she had been made unafraid by the same person, but the fear was there.

_Who is that girl? _Erwine asked, as she asked herself at the same time, _who am I?_

* * *

><p>The usage of body-swapping as a common technique is, in my opinion, completely sensible. Of course, this is known by the readers of this report, and I was asked to instead collect data on those who do not support the practice. My conclusion is that those opposed mainly oppose it based on a human rights viewpoint.<p>

They insist that the 'defiling' of dead bodies in this manner is wrong, and that we should instead waste precious time and energy to modify our own bodies to suit the needs of the mission. They also oppose the killing of humans when there is a need for a body.

First of all, these girls make the mistake of assuming humans have rights when we are involved. They normally do, but the Inquisition, or any magical girl, has the right to take all of those away. There is no issue here, only a few stubborn fools who cannot move forwards.

They also assume that humans deserve to not have their bodies 'desecrated' in this way. This is also foolish. They insist it does not have to do with rights, instead it is respect. To which I propose we reply that humans should be honored that they may serve the Goddess once again after dying.

This entire resistance movement is, however, well-organized, so I shall be detailing in greater depth my proposed plan to deal whit the dissidents over the course of the report.

-Excerpt from Inquisitor Dianna Kilge's Report to the Ordo Hereticus Council of Magic Usage on the Practice of Body-Swapping. Circa M27.


	5. Beginning of Bloodshed

**Well, here is the chapter where things actually happen. My favorite part of every new Horus Heresy novel is the part where two people are talking for a third of the book, amirite? So yeah, the gore actually was pretty intense as I got a little description happy with the rough draft, and although I've toned it done a lot, I want to keep this story rated T, so tell me if I need to edit it down some more. **

**So yeah, the plot and action will be picking up from here, and I promise it won't be nearly as boring to sit through, as at least for me it was more exciting to write. **

**I realized I have totally forgot to put a super generic disclaimer anywhere. I don't own PMMM, but the doujin industry tells me I shouldn't care about that part, and I'm pretty sure Games Workshop won't strike me with a legal nuclear bomb, but you never know with GW. However, seeing as how other big 40k things have survived, I'm not even sure why I need to worry. **

* * *

><p>Magical girls are an increasingly common sight in the Imperium. Or as is more correct, an increasingly common presence. There are not seen. They are simply there. I have heard many tales of the things they can do, and the idea of magical girl's completely infesting society is outrageous. I demand an immediate halt to their actions, no matter what the Ecclesiarch says. I am not going to allow our Imperium to be controlled by magical girls. It was built on humanity, and we follow the Goddess faithfully, but it is our job to lead our own kind. Let magical girls lead their own race.<p>

Excerpt from a speech by the Grand Provost Marshal of the Adeptus Arbites, circa M37, later executed for speaking out against Her Holy Majesty

* * *

><p>Airi hated dressing up. She hated pretending to be someone she wasn't. She hated having to pretend that she was some stupid noblewoman. But she did it anyways because she had to. And because it was especially fun seeing the looks on people's faces when they find out that she's actually an Interrogator.<p>

All she'd done was extend her costume's skirt down past her ankles, remove the cuirass, and make the blouse underneath look fancier. Add to that a more noble-looking hairstyle, courtesy of the dead Mrs. Cataleria, deceased as of one month ago from a political assassin's blade, and she looked like your average stuck-up noblewoman.

And that was how she carried herself as she navigated her way through the party. She'd easily placed her soul in the body of a dead noblewoman. She had died at nineteen, a victim of political assassination.

But now, her body was as good as new. She looked like a healthy nineteen year old. Certainly old enough for the man she was trying to get.

The man was Elias Stenger. On the outside, he was a well-respected businessman. However, he was suspected of certain corrupt dealings. Not in xenos merchandise or in heretical artifacts. Far worse, he was believed to be involved in the highly illegal trade of grief cubes.

Such activities consisted of hijacking ships carrying the objects to clandestine distribution centers, or directly to the mage knights. Or possibly the theft of cubes directly from their holding places on planet, but that carried a greater risk of discovery, at least if most of the magical girls onplanet were still loyal.

Magical girls assigned to local security teams had only slight tendencies to go rogue when tempted with large amounts of wealth and power, and were more often forced into it due to their families being held hostage.

No matter what the means were, the end was that grief cubes were not getting into the hands of magical girls. They were getting into the hands of mortals.

Mortals handling grief cubes would only lead to more wraiths. And more wraiths caused more problems. It also caused massive shortages in grief cube supplies for both Inquisition and the Mage Knights. Which meant that it was the job of the Ordo Hereticus to sort the problem out.

Fortunately, most of time it was just as easy said as it was done. The mortals were bad at covering their tracks or easily cracked under interrogation. But, sometimes a major organization would be involved and that meant cutting all the heads off of the hydra without killing it.

Osbeorne was well-known name in this sector. It was a major trading organization that transported all kinds of goods. But it was under suspicion. However, making any major movements against it would only disrupt the entire sector. So the war had to be fought in the shadows, with Inquisitors taking the battle straight to the business partners of Osbeorne.

The hope was that eventually, all traces of corruption could be wiped out, but that was unlikely. The only chance was generally that enough evidence could be found to convict the entire corporation.

Airi thought were disrupted by a hand on her wrist. She'd realized she'd been standing and thinking for a minute. Which looked rather strange in the party she was at. There was a man grabbing her wrist. She controlled her reflexes and smiled at him.

"Hey there beautiful," he said, leering at her. Airi suppressed the urge to tear this man's throat out and replied.

"Sorry, I'm looking for someone else," she smiled. She brushed his hand aside ad continued walking. She figured she'd encounter several more of those dumb perverts before she got to the one she wanted.

But she wasn't worried. The thing Airi was really worried about was Ayelen. Ayelen was assigned to run cover for Airi. She had no idea why Ayelen had been picked. The girl was a bit of a flake, and had a tendency to be a bit crazy at times, so she was not the best pick for this job. Laelia could have easily filled her role. She could have done it better, too.

Unfortunately, Airi was stuck with Ayelen, so she realized that she would have to deal with her for the time being. _All I can do is hope and pray she won't mess this up by getting drunk or something. _The entire idea was silly, seeing as how it was effectively impossible to get drunk as a magical girl, but Airi figured Ayelen would forget to neutralize the alcohol or something like that.

So Airi continued to maneuver her way through the throng of people, looking for the one man that she was looking for. _If I find him faster, than that's less time Ayelen has to keep herself together. _And while Ayelen had made sure she would not be a threat over the course of this event, caution had to be taken.

Better safe than dead, after all.

* * *

><p>Ayelen was the exact opposite of Airi. She loved to dress up. She loved to go undercover. She was an actress by nature. She was fairly certain that if she wasn't a magical girl, she'd be performing.<p>

She waited for the day when she got to stop covering people and actually be the one operating. Because leaning against the wall in the corner of the ballroom was not very fun. _That's silly, though, _Ayelen thought, _I've done plenty on my own. After all...there are concerns about me to think of…_She dropped the thought, not wanting to follow it to the darker corners of her mind.

She had lengthened her frilly skirt so it extended down to the floor and changed her blouse so there was now a v-shape from her neck to the top of chest. She had completely prepared herself mentally. She'd rehearsed everything she'd say and everything she'd do.

However, she was supposed to be covering Airi if things went bad. So she couldn't socialize with the partygoers. But she discovered she didn't want to. There was no one of particular interest. That was incorrect. _No one that was not absolutely disgusting. No one can catch a signal that I'm not wanting to talk to them. _

Except the last one who had walked up to her. Ayelen expected another old man who wanted her in bed but what she found was something very different. He'd asked her what she was doing and she recited one of her cover stories. Or lines, rather. A simple one, "I'm waiting for someone else" she said, smiling.

"Would you care to pass the time with me?" he inquired. It was sincere, there seemed to be no double meaning. Rejecting him would look strange, especially since he was clearly so kind in this question. He also had an inkling of intelligence, as if he really had a good reason to be asking Ayelen this question.

So Ayelen nodded and walked off beside him. They walked out onto the balcony and found a quiet spot overlooking much of the hive. The party was located in one of the tall spires in the center of the hive, so there was an incredible view of the rest of the city.

"What brings you here?" the man asked.

"Oh, like I said, just waiting for a friend," Ayelen wasn't lying. She knew a very important piece of a good cover story was that you were actually not lying. If a telepath was scanning her thoughts, they'd find she wasn't lying. She _was_ waiting for a friend, she just didn't provide any details.

"Where are you from?" he asked. He was leaning against the railing, a few feet in front of the railing was a faint force field guarding the balcony from the cold of the high altitude. He glanced down at her left hand, which was being covered by her right.

Ayelen paused, temporarily unsure of what to say. She had prepared for this, but she noticed his gaze and realized an opportunity. She moved her right hand off her left and said "I'm from around." Ayelen slid off the covering on her finger exposing her wing-shaped tattoo.

He immediately noticed this "I see, you like parties?"

"Indeed I do," She replied; smiling. Adrianne had sent Airi after one specific person. But there was a chance one of that man's associates would be here. The fact this man wasn't surprised meant he was expecting something like this. Perhaps he expected someone to meet him here tonight.

Ayelen decided it was best to play along. "So who were you looking for?"

"Well, I heard of a certain man who could provide…assistance," Ayelen chose her words carefully. She was unsure if there was some sort of special phrase that was necessary. If she was correct in her assumptions about this man, and in her assumptions about the company she was going after, then she could pull something of her own off while Airi was occupied.

If she was wrong, then she would be disrupting Airi's part of the mission, and possibly disrupt everything about this mission.

Her fears were alleviated when he smiled and said "I think you've come to the right place,"

* * *

><p>Airi was still searching for the man she was sent to find. She'd been navigating her way through the party for almost an hour. She'd spotted him several times but by the time she got to his location he was already gone. She finally leaned back against the wall, exhausted.<p>

"Well hello there," A voice said. Airi looked up ready to drive another idiot away, only to find that the universe had finally taken mercy on her.

Standing in front of her was Alaster Stanger; the man she was supposed to find and interrogate. Airi put on a smile and said "Hello, need anything?"

Airi had intentionally left her soul ring exposed so it could be seen by this man. Which is why he responded "No, but I think you need something," he heartily smiled. He took her hand saying "Come on, let's discuss in private,"

He led her through the crowd and down a hallway off to the side of the ballroom. At the end of the hallway was a door flanked by three men on either side. One pulled out a key and unlocked the door. Airi and Alaster walked into a luxurious penthouse.

Alaster led Airi to the couch and walked away to pour the two of them drinks. Airi took a second after sitting to admire her surroundings. The couches and rugs were of very high-quality materials and incredibly comfortable. There even seemed to be a second floor of the penthouse. She considered all of this wasteful. She considered the logic of spending money on a place that you would use to make illegal deals.

That reminded Airi of the stupidity of this man. No matter how high-ranking he was in this smuggling ring, he was still an idiot. Sure, she might be a local patroller, but she might also be an Inquisitor!

Any criminal worth his salt would have brought Airi her unconscious and in chains so she couldn't do anything no matter what she was. Or maybe he was just drunk. Airi didn't care; a traitor is still a traitor.

"So why would a person like you want to get involved in this?" Alaster asked; handing Airi a glass of wine. Airi took a sip of it. It was good, but not as good as others she'd tasted.

"Well, I just want to have an extra supply, that's all," Airi replied. She'd sued that response before and it always had worked.

And it did again as Alaster bought her, honestly, transparent disguise hook, line, and sinker. "So, how much were you thinking?"

"Well, just give me the best offer," Airi didn't actually want to buy anything from him; she just wanted to see how much information he would reveal.

"Alright then, here you go," he took a piece of paper and wrote something on it. Afterwards he folded it in two and handed it to Airi. "Give that to the person at the specified location. He'll know what to do"

"Thank you," Airi said. She placed her glass of wine on the table. She was ready to go, she didn't want to make a scene and she could always report the man to the local Arbites anyways.

"It'll cost you, but I'm sure we can find out a way to make it free," Alaster said with _that _kind of smile on his face. Airi was sure he didn't expect her to suddenly transform, teleport in front of him, and knock him off the couch with a kick to the face.

Alaster tumbled backwards onto the floor, grunting as his back hit the hardwood floor. Airi jumped towards him, leaping over the couch and landing a punch in his gut as she came down. Her other hand went to grab a pistol from a holster at this side.

With her left hand, Airi put the gun to his chest, burying the muzzle in the folds of cloth, to suppress the noise as much as possible. Hopefully, this room was well soundproofed, or she she would have some problems when she fired.

Alaster grunted, and tried to leap up and strike back at Airi. Both her hands were occupied trying to get as much material around the gun as possible, knowing that security guards had been at the door. So she fell backwards onto her rear end, pulling the gun away from his chest, but it gave her legs the chance to come up and kick into his face.

The heels of her boots kicked into Alaster's face at high speeds with plenty of force behind them. He screamed as one heel buried itself in his right eye, and the other knocked out a couple of his teeth. At the same time, the door burst open. Airi did not need to look to know that trouble was coming, so she fired off a quick shot at Alaster's head.

He was frantically clutching at his bloody eye, which had been partially crushed, and trying to get the teeth out of his throat. A single bullet stopped those motions. The pistol was large, and the bullet blew out the back of his head as well. _A shame, _Airi thought, _the floor is quite nice. _

She scissored her legs, bringing herself off the ground with ease. As she jumped up, she saw a volley of bright ruby beams coming towards her. A millisecond before they would have impacted, she was no longer occupying that space. She was in the air, just under the ceiling, about three meters above the ground.

There were seven guards, and all tried to switch their aim to track her in the air. But with a flash of silver light, she was gone from there as well. The leftmost guard cried out for a split second as his neck was snapped through his armor. Such a thing was impossible for a human. Even the task of snapping a neck took massive effort to do in one motion. Airi did it effortlessly through riot gear.

The other guards were snapping around to fire at her, but she was already moving before they could single her out. Lasgun fire scorched the ground behind her as she slid towards the next guard in the line. Her left leg, which she slid on, kicked out one of the man's feet, knocking him off balance, and her right foot kicked upwards to strike the man's other knee.

He fell forwards on top of Airi who, by the time the body of the guard reached her, was already on her knees. Her fists drove upwards into his chest, and the man was pushed back into another man. Airi had angled her strike to move the body in that direction.

As she punched, she used her legs to jump two meters into the air, and a long kick out to the side killed the man she had just punched. Her kick was not responsible for his death, not directly. Instead, it was the arrow which she had materialized in front of her foot which punctured his head and killed him.

However, Airi was now in midair. She was seen by all of the guards, and although one was being blocked by the dead body of his comrade, the other four all targeted Airi. But she had something in her hand all of a sudden. Alaster's high-caliber pistol, placed in the space between her cuirass and the coat she wore.

The black pistol felt good in her hands as she fired four times. Although the weapon was high-caliber, it could not unfortunately pierce the armor being worn, and Airi did not want to fire too many times. So she aimed careful shots at the lasguns held by the men.

Before Airi's height in the air had reduced to one meter, and before her kicking leg was fully retracted the weapons of all four men were useless. The fifth was still struggling.

Airi turned towards him, her empty left hand flicking out like a lightning bolt. With a single motion, the magically-sharp arrow was pushed through the skull of the guard and into the skull of the man he was on top of. However, the wound was not deep, only serving to delay the living guard's progress.

Which was why Airi had turned herself towards that man in order to strike out. As she came close to the ground, she reached out and transferred her momentum into a roll. She came out of the roll landing on the dead body, but she stayed on her back and kicked forwards. She pushed the dead man's head forwards, which resulted in the arrow being moved forwards as well.

Now there were only four living beings in the room. And all four had drawn their pistols and were ready to open fire. Airi smiled as they pulled the triggers of their ballistic weapons as fast as possible, desperately hoping to stop Airi.

_At least they have the courage to try, _Airi thought, as she disappeared in a flash of light. Her right hand was brought across her body, and the blade of it slammed into the back of one guard's neck as she appeared behind him. Her arms then looped under his and he was turned to face his friends as they saw Airi and turned to fire.

The next dozen shots all hit the torso of the man Airi held. He screamed in pain, calling for his friends to stop, but their fear acted faster than their rational minds. Airi removed the knife from his belt, and pushed the guard forwards. Her leg kicked him into another guard, and Airi was jumping over the body before it impacted.

The hop was only barely enough to clear the man, and she accelerated herself with magic to kick the head of the next guard. She knocked him down onto his back, and he then had the dead body of the other guard fall on him. Airi spun in midair to bring the knife down through the faceguard of the live man on the ground.

The other guards had tracked her, but were now out of ammunition. As they hastily tried to reload, Airi spun around, her leg flying up to kick one in the face. This moved him to the side, and as she dashed past him, her knife switched to the left hand to slit his throat as she passed, before she held it with both hands to shove it into the chest of the last remaining guard.

She was smiling as the man died, lifting him up on the blade of the knife. He choked for breath, groaning as his heart failed quickly. When it was over, Airi let the knife fall from her hands. She looked at the practical massacre that occurred.

She sighed, annoyed that she had gotten blood on herself. She shrugged, hearing voices from outside the room. Clearly more guards coming to investigate. From the number of footsteps, it was about three times the previous number.

Airi stood by the window as they opened fire at her back. She only wasted a second spinning around before she was outside the window. The volley of lasfire and ballistic rounds from heavier weapons slammed into the window. The glass did not break, and Airi started the very long fall towards the ground.

_I killed Alaster, a bit hasty I guess, but I got what I needed, _Airi thought, _we easily have enough to move on from this point, and those idiots above me have no idea who I am. _

Airi closed her eyes, calming her breathing as she plummeted towards the ground. She just curled her limbs into a little body, and let gravity and magic do the rest.

* * *

><p>Ayelen had followed the man back into his luxurious apartments. He was clearly an important figure. She had hoped to play along for as long as possible before she had to make her exit, but things had quickly become complicated. The man was very obviously involved in criminal activities.<p>

The problem was that he wanted to share some drinks with Ayelen before they made any deal. He probably expected to get her drunk and rip her off. Ayelen didn't fell like playing around. She had tried to convince him, but he kept insisting.

And that was why he was currently pinned to the wall by a spear in his right shoulder.

Ayelen had begun to slowly amplify the pain at such a rate that he could never adapt to one level before it had increased. He'd tried to call for help, but before the words left his mouth, Ayelen had cut him off with a punch to the throat. She'd told him he should no longer try to talk, lest she permanently remove that ability.

"Alright then, mister," Ayelen cooed "You don't want to talk to me, so I'm going to talk to you, do you know what I'll talk about?"

The man, Ayelen hadn't bothered to ask for his name, shook his head.

"Well then, I'll enlighten you, I'm going to talk about _extremes_," Ayelen grinned maliciously "One extreme is you tell me everything I need to know and I give you a quick, peaceful death."

His eyes widened with fear. Ayelen paused to let him think about that for a minute.

"The other extreme" she began, her voice filled with even more malice than before "Is that you continue to resist and I hand you over to an actual Inquisitor, who will tear your mind apart, learn everything she needs and leave you a walking vegetable,"

The man started to cry. Ayelen scoffed; it was pitiful. Sometimes she really did wonder what she was fighting for. "Well then?" she asked "Which extreme would you like? Cause the in-between is this torture continuing for a _long_ time,"

Tears ran down the man's cheeks and he tried to produce words, but found himself incapable of action. Ayelen's anger flared up and she summoned another spear which she jabbed into his left shoulder. He tried to scream. But Ayelen was faster.

Another spear stabbed through his throat. He began to bleed out as his blood vessels were cut. He would bleed out almost immediately. He died with is face pleading for assistance from Ayelen.

Ayelen didn't bother trying to help. She walked away instead. She went off to search the rest of the apartment. _The first time I try to do something myself, and I screw it up!_ She had to find something that could help the investigation, but it was a big place and she would have to move if Airi ran into trouble.

So she vented her rage upon the furnishings of the apartments. Entire fortunes were smashed to pieces as she attacked every object she found with an unbridled rage. She worked her way through the lower floor before moving onto the second, leaving a trail of destroyed beauties.

She figured Laelia would kill her if she found out that Ayelen had violated art in this manner. But that was the last thing on Ayelen's mind as she rampaged throughout the suites. She stopped for the briefest second, worried about someone else hearing her, but she realized that there were no bodyguards around and that the party would help to conceal the noise she made.

Coincidentally and not surprisingly, in her mind, this rage led Ayelen to finding what she was looking for. As she was busy breaking some expensive vases into bits, she discovered several maps that seemed to plot magical girl patrol routes throughout the city. _So that's how they find the cubes._

They were the exact maps too. That was what disturbed her the most. These maps were marked with the official seal of the area commander. "So they have a contact amongst the local girls," Ayelen thought aloud. She didn't want to believe it. But it was true. That meant Erwine would have to encounter one of the hardest parts of her new life; right at the beginning of it.

She paused for a second; not wanting to move. A tear ran down her cheek. Eventually, she folded the maps up and stuffed them into her pocket. She began to walk back down to the first floor. Every step was just another reminder of what had happened, that first time, all those years ago. She tried to suppress it, but she couldn't.

Even as she worked her way out of the building, her memories surged back. They were things she never wanted to remember. Not now, not ever.

* * *

><p><em>The sun had long since set over the small town. It was a farming community, a backwater. In the long run, it didn't matter. Even a major decrease in its grief cube output wouldn't matter. Most of the area it took up was farmland. That didn't matter either. There was no reason for an Inquisitor of Adrianne's status to deal with a problem here. <em>

_But Adrianne wanted answers from someone there. Answers she knew that Ayelen could help provide. That was why the two walked the deserted streets alone. Both Airi and Laelia had been left behind. _

_Ayelen had no idea why. She didn't think she was that useful to Adrianne. Adrianne had never brought Ayelen on anything like this before. Not had Ayelen heard any talk of this from Laelia or Airi. She did notice that they seemed more edgy around Ayelen in the hours before she left with Adrianne._

_They'd landed far outside the town and Adrianne and Ayelen had spent hours walking to their destination. They wore clothes typical of the region in order to remain unnoticed. Ayelen estimated that they reached their destination around midnight. _

_They approached a large farmhouse. Adrianne snapped Ayelen out of her thoughts. _I'm going in, she_ called, _follow me when I say._ With those thoughts, Adrianne transformed and leapt up to the second story. Ayelen stood there for a minute waiting. She thought she heard a small commotion, but she thought she was imagining things._

_A second later, Adrianne called her up. Ayelen transformed and jumped into the window Adrianne had left open. She saw Adrianne standing next to a bed. She stepped aside. What Ayelen saw was something that would become the start of her nightmares. _

_The sight that confronted her was another girl, a magical girl, Ayelen could see, nailed to the wall with Adrianne's knives. They impaled her palms and her shoulders. Blood ran from her wounds down onto the bed. A gag was in her mouth to stop her from screaming. Adrianne faced away from Adrianne, staring at the girl._

_Adrianne tilted her head backwards and then to the side at Ayelen. The look on the Inquisitor's face was one of pure contempt. Her gaze made Ayelen shudder. _What is going on here!? _Ayelen exclaimed telepathically. _

_Adrianne chose to speak with her mouth, "Ayelen, you are a healer, correct?" Ayelen nodded. "And, is it correct that you can change the levels of pain someone feels?" Ayelen nodded again, shuddering. _

"_Well then," Adrianne muttered, pointing to the girl on the bed "Make her talk," Ayelen shook her head. _

"_No!" she shouted. She muffled her cry the best she could, but her voice still rose._

"_You refuse a direct order?" Adrianne said. The look on her was clearly because of the other girl in the room, but now it was aimed at Ayelen. "I will consider you the same as her," she declared, still pointing at the girl. _

_Tears began to run down Ayelen's face, "Why? Why should I torture her?" she begged for an answer, despite everything in her mind telling herself that she would not receive one that truly satisfied her. _

_Ayelen expected a response that would be typical of one's superior. Instead Adrianne told her the truth "She is the services of heretics, they have done things far worse than this, it is hard, I know, but it will stop more deaths," Adrianne fully turned her body towards Ayelen. She extended her arm towards the bed as if to show the way to Ayelen. _

_Ayelen gulped and approached the other girl. The girl began to cry. Ayelen wanted to help this girl, to betray her master and save this girl. But Ayelen trusted Adrianne; she knew that Adrianne wouldn't tell her to do this because she liked watching people suffer. _

_There was a reason. Ayelen would find out, but now was not the time. She kneeled on the bed. She firmly grabbed the knives in the girl's hands and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she whispered "so sorry." Those were the last words from Ayelen the girl would hear._

* * *

><p>Erwine walked alongside Laelia as they headed to their destination. They slowly made their way through the empty streets of the lower hive. Erwine didn't know where they were headed.<p>

The streets were, in general, deserted. In the distance, Erwine occasionally heard the noises of battles breaking out. She knew that many were wraith hunters, but others were probably criminals or gangs. She wasn't worried, but not because she knew that she would be fine. She wasn't worried because Laelia wasn't and that ws enough for her.

She did know that some information gathered by Ayelen or Airi had sent them out. Erwine hoped the two of them were alright. Adrianne had stayed behind, apparently to debrief the other two girls when they returned.

Laelia had been mostly silent the entire time. Erwine had been as well. She still had so many questions, but no idea where to start. So she started with the one that she probably shouldn't have started with.

"Where did you grow up?"

Laelia tensed slightly, but visibly. Erwine saw this and reacted. She was a bit afraid of questioning seemingly quiet person as Laelia, but Adrianne trusted her, so Erwine did as well.

"You don't have to tell me, if it's bad memories," she said quickly.

"No, I think I'm capable." Laelia stated. Her voice seemed to contain regret.

"Alright," Erwine responded. She stayed silent as Laelia took a deep breath. Erwine felt as if there were indeed bad memories that should not be awakened.

She knew of many places and horrible fates one could suffer. She could only imagine what had happened to Laelia, what kind of cruel planet had the girl grown up on?

"I was born on a starship. A grand cruiser, no less. Technically it was forbidden, but with about 112,000 crew, it was hard to keep track. I shared the space with other kids my age, I still remember them." A solitary tear fell from her eye. Erwine did not understand how over one-hundred thousand people could fit on a starship, but she did not try to question this clearly intelligent girl's words.

"It was an Exorcist-class, called the _Regina_. As far as I know, it still serves with the sector fleet. Its job was long-distance patrol. Not very many massive fleet battles. But when it fought, the children suffered." More tears began to fall. But she kept walking forwards.

"I still vividly remember the long hours spent huddling in the near-total darkness, praying for the battle to end. Every time the ship would go into combat, we would all go and hid in the places where we slept."

"I would never know what was going on then. None of us would. We could only hope that our parents would be able to make it out alive. One time, my mother didn't. I still don't know how she died, but I was alone with my father." Laelia stopped in her tracks. Erwine turned worried she'd hurt Laelia by asking. The other girl began to cry uncontrollably.

It was a cry of torment. Some traumatic memory had been awakened. But Laelia calmed herself. She cupped her face in her hands. "You don't have to continue," Erwine assured her.

"Yes I do," Laelia managed to say. Erwine walked towards her, but Laelia held her hand out. "No, I'm alright, I _will _continue." Erwine could hear the determination in the girl's voice.

Erwine nodded and took a step back. Laelia tilted her head towards the sky. "I never got much to eat; living off what my parents could spare," She moved her head back down to look at Erwine. "But now, starvation was a constant threat. I am honestly amazed to be talking to you now."

Erwine could only feel sadness. She became teary-eyed. She realized that she had an amazing background compared to Laelia. "But I persevered. I don't know when my mother died, all I know is that she did, I don't know how many years I spent suffering like that, but when I was of age, I contracted." Her voice seemed to harbor…regret? Did Laelia regret leaving her father behind?

Erwine wanted to ask, but didn't want to cause Laelia any more pain than what she already felt. So Erwine stayed silent. Laelia began to walk again. It was slower than before. Purpose had been overtaken by uncertainty. It was almost a stumble.

Erwine turned and began to walk alongside Laelia. After a few minutes, Erwine decided to speak. "I'm sorry I asked," Erwine said; turning to look at Laelia. The other girl took a deep breath and stopped for a second to straighten herself up.

"It's fine, I don't mind, it's just memories that I have to confront," Laelia reassured her. She started walking once again. It was now the same pace as she originally walked at. Erwine followed once again.

"We are almost there," Laelia said. All hints of sadness had been dropped from her voice. All the confidence in her stride had returned. Erwine nodded.

She realized that she seemed to have a good past. She hadn't experienced any scarring event like Adrianne or Laelia had. That event had made them who they were. _Adrianne had become the person she is because of that. So did Laelia. _Erwine theorized.

But as she thought it, she knew it wasn't a theory. It was fact, it was true. These two girls had traumatic scars. Erwine didn't. She had an advantage. She noticed them approaching a building. It looked to be a small medicae office. Erwine knew she had to finish her thoughts quickly.

Now, Erwine knew what she would do. _I'm going to do the best I can. I have no horrible event to mess up mind. I can move forwards without having to avoid the past. I will be better than any other inquisitor. But maybe I won't be able to…if I can't. I will do my best._

* * *

><p>Airi had been waiting for Ayelen in a nearby car when Ayelen finally exited the spire. Airi had immediately hit the accelerator and began to make their way back to where they landed. They rode in silence for a bit before Airi said "You were supposed to cover me,"<p>

"I know that," Ayelen responded. She hated doing what she did with that man, whoever he was. Torturing and killing someone was not one of her favorite things to do.

"Well, why weren't you covering me?" Airi asked.

"I was interrogating someone else," Ayelen replied, thinking she had the upper hand.

"But of course you were," said Airi in a clearly sarcastic voice.

"I was!" Ayelen cried. She reached into her boot to retrieve the maps she had found. She showed them to Airi who nodded approvingly.

"I'm impressed," Airi admitted. She continued driving but spared a few quick looks at the maps. Her frown curved to become a smile, and she nodded, "You did well,"

"So we're going to be paying a visit to the local girls?" Airi said rhetorically, "They won't like that,"

"True, but thanks to the wonders of magic, Adrianne is most likely already doing so," Ayelen explained.

"Is she now?" Airi asked.

"Yes, she told me that she'll be back within the next few hours, it's only a simple visit to the local office," the brown-haired girl explained.

"She knows that could be a little risky, right?" Airi asked.

"You know her, they won't even know she was ever there,"

Airi chuckled, as she hesitantly glanced around. She didn't want to be followed, but it looked like the initial confusion of several deaths had prevented anyone from trying to track down the killers.

_Of course, it's not like we did anything wrong, _Airi thought to herself, as she glanced over at Ayelen. The girl looked a little down, but Airi did not say anything about it. She could guess what had happened. There was no need to push Ayelen for details.

The inside of the car was silent as the vehicle drove through the night, and as events unfolded elsewhere in only one of many cities in the universe that was never entirely sleeping.

* * *

><p>Helene Raskoph had a nice life. She had good parents, who despite not being the wealthiest, insured Helene got things she wanted. She had plenty of friends. Her grades were great and she seemed as if she had a bright future.<p>

However, these were just simple pleasures compared to her current occupation. She was a magical girl. She'd chosen to remain on the planet and hunt wraiths. It was boring at first, but she'd met lots of new girls from all over the city. And now, she was commander of all of the magical girls in the hive.

Her life was truly amazing. She didn't even worry about Inquisitors showing up. As far as she knew, everything was in order. There were no traitors amongst her forces.

Which is why she was completely unfazed when an Inquisitor did walk into her office. Helene had just finished compiling the patrol routes for the next month and was ready to call it a night. She had a date in one of the high-class restaurants in the upper hive.

But Adrianne had plans as well. She had walked swiftly into the building that was concealed as a hole-in-the-wall store and brandished her rosette. Everyone immediately stepped aside and allowed her passage through to Helene.

Adrianne walked up to the desk and transfixed Helen with a gaze of pure malice. "My lord? What is the matter?" Helene calmly asked. Adrianne stayed silent for a few seconds before responding.

"There is a traitor in this patrol force," Adrianne said. Her tone was semi-neutral, not wanting to give away any emotions except anger.

Helen shot up from her chair. "My lord, I had no idea, please, I would report such a thing if I knew," She was worried. Not about her career. About her life.

"Calm down," commanded Adrianne "I'm not here to accuse you, I've read your record, it is as clean as a record can get," Adrianne sat down in the chair in front of Helene's desk. Helene calmed herself and sat as well.

"How can I help, my lord?" Helene asked.

"One, stop calling me 'my lord', call me Adrianne, we're both magical girls," It was Adrianne's policy to be friendly with those girls who deserved it. She didn't consider herself superior to other girls because she made the choice to be an Inquisitor. Some inquisitors did and they never got very far.

Helene nodded and Adrianne spoke again "Two, I need a list of everyone you send patrol maps too," Helene nodded again and wrote down several names. She handed the paper to Adrianne who placed it in her pocket.

"Three, I need a list of all soul gem shipments in the last six standard months," Time was measured by Terran standard as opposed to separate systems of time for each planet. It made everything easier.

Helene nodded a third time and handed Adrianne another piece of paper. This was followed by several more. "Um, Adrianne, will you be requiring any grief cubes for personal uses?" Adrianne shook her head.

"We were just resupplied a month ago." The inquisitor replied, "But thank you." She stood up and prepared to leave.

"Anything else?" Helene wondered.

Adrianne shook her head, "But…there is one thing," Helene's eyebrows went up, asking a silent question, "I was never here," Adrianne then turned and left. Helene blinked several times. She stared at the clock. _Where did the last few minutes go? _

She had been sitting there going over reports, and now…it was a couple minutes later. That was impossible. She asked the others telepathically if anything had happened to them. All of them had repots similar to hers.

_I'll have to send this one to someone bigger than I, _Helene realized, before trying to recall the list of inquisitors on planet. She recalled something about an Adrianne Azure…

But that was a mystery, and a report, for later, Helene decided. She still had that date.

* * *

><p>Erwine followed behind Laelia, ready for her first assignment. Erwine clenched her right hand, feeling the grief cubes attached to her fingers. Adrianne had given her a webbing with grief cubes strung on and had told Erwine to put it on her hand. She had a similar web on her head to directly absorb the grief from her gem. The thin silver netting fit neatly around her head, intertwining with her hair. It even came in various colors for different types of hair. The grief cubes were buried in her locks of hair but still held by the netting.<p>

The combination of the two nets meant that Erwine would not have to worry about accumulating grief during battle. The cubes would automatically solve all her problems, and there was apparently enough cubes to hold three soul gem's worth of magic.

Erwine was worried about this outing ,and not only because it was her first. _Will I have to kill someone? They may be a traitor, but they would still be a human being. _

Erwine took several deep breaths as she followed Laelia. _Don't worry, just do what I say, and you'll be alright. _Erwine knew not why she was using telepathy, but Erwine eventually tried to just do it, and the process worked well.

Erwine responded. _I just don't want to kill anyone._

_Unfortunately, you will eventually have to do so, and today is as good as any to start._ This made Erwine shiver. Laelia was right, eventually, it would have to happen. So why not start right now? Erwine didn't want to. But she wouldn't whine or fuss about the duty that she accepted.

The building they entered looked like a medicae's office on the inside and the outside. As they entered the solitary person inside looked up. He was busy sorting through a pile of papers. But when Erwine and Laelia entered he immediately took interest in them.

"Hello," he said happily, "how may I help you?" Laelia smiled and walked forwards. Erwine followed closely behind.

_Say what I tell you to say. _Laelia commanded. _I need to see Gertens._ Erwine said this and the man nodded.

"Of course!" He turned and pushed a section of the wall. This caused the wall to slide to the side; revealing a hidden passageway. "Go on through," he said. Laelia went first followed by Erwine. She descended the steps quickly forcing Erwine to focus.

Erwine clenched her left hand even tighter than before. They were headed into the belly of the beast. She knew that Laelia had been in more dangerous situations, especially after hearing the story of her childhood, but for Erwine this was riveting.

The two of them reached the end of the staircase and found themselves confronted by a door. It opened as they approached it; revealing a small room. The only furnishings were two couches and a small table in between. They approached the nearest couch which faced the opposite direction and sat down.

Behind the other couch was another door. Within a few seconds that door opened up and three men walked in. One was dressed in an expensive business suit. The other two had body armor and lasguns.

The man sat down on the couch. He scanned his eyes over the two girls before speaking, "Normally there's only one,"

_Well, it's different today. _Laelia said to Erwine. Erwine repeated the message and the man laughed.

"What would you two like?" he smiled at both of them.

_Give us a little tour of our options._ Erwine repeated this message. She understood how someone like Ayelen, who loved hearing herself talk, would be fine with this. But Erwine didn't like being Laelia's puppet.

The mad started to go through all of the amounts of cubes and the prices for each amount. It was all very tedious for Erwine. _What are we waiting for?_ She asked was getting impatient. She was scared too. She knew this wouldn't end with the two of them just walking away.

_Be patient, we need to learn more about this; ask who gives them the cubes._

"Where do you get all these grief cubes?" Erwine asked.

"Well, I have to keep the name of our provider secret, you understand," he replied. He was about to continue on his previous talk, when Laelia abruptly stood up. With a blue flash she transformed into her magical girl outfit.

She raised both her hands pointing them at the two gun-wielding men. Two large guns materialized in her hands. Laelia pulled the triggers. She worked the line of bullets up from their stomachs to their heads; resulting in messy explosions of gore that made Erwine sick.

The man on the couch couldn't even open his mouth to call for help before he was kicked in the face by Laelia. Erwine realized that all of this had happened in under five seconds. Time had seemed to slow down. She felt something wet on her face.

Erwine reached her hand up and discovered it was blood; but not her blood. The blood of one of the men who just died. Erwine opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was vomit. She emptied her guts onto the floor.

_Don't worry, you'll get used to it. _Laelia said with a hint of laughter in her telepathic voice. Erwine was horrified by this humor. It scared her to think that someone could actually get used to this.

She stared at the corpses for several more seconds. Whatever Laelia's guns were, they had almost completely torn the torsos of the men to pieces. Their heads didn't exist anymore. Their organs were spilling out onto the floor and blood still ran out of the bloody ruins. She could see their insides amidst the carnage; partially smashed to ruins.

She felt herself getting sick again, but she was distracted by Laelia. She put a hand on Erwine's shoulder _come on, we got company. _Eriwne heard noises on the toher side of the door the men came in from. Laelia raised her guns towards the door. Suddenly a blue field formed around the two of them. Erwine could see it was formed out of hundreds of small hexagons.

They all created a half-spherical shape around Erwine and Laelia. For a few seconds, Erwine was like a five-year old marveling at the beauty of the dome. She was snapped out of that by the opening of the door. Several more men marched through; all wearing body armor and holding lasguns.

They collectively opened fire; only to have the shots be absorbed by the shield around the two girls. Erwine figured that Laelia must be a shield generator. She then realized she hadn't actually transformed yet; so she immediately did so.

But Laelia seemed to be doing alright for herself; she opened fire with her two machine guns and cut down everyone who entered the room. They all went died as before, their deaths so bloody that Erwine instantly blocked the images of them to the depths of her mind, but she did her best to control herself this time. She suppressed her urge to vomit and prepared to move.

Laelia waited a second and then dissipated the shield. She then motioned for Erwine to follow as she ran out of the room. Erwine followed; brandishing her sword, unsure of what to do.

The two of them entered another corridor; at the end of which was another door. This one was open and there were several men in the doorway. They too held lasguns. The weapons cracked and a tirade of red light was sent streaking down the hallway.

But Laelia had already raised her shield. All of the beams deflected off the tiny hexagons forming the shield. Laelia showed no signs of stress. Instead she grinned playfully and depressed the triggers of her guns. Erwine looked away.

The lasguns made a sound like the crack of a whip. But the machine guns wielded by Laelia made a sound like the bark of an enraged dog. The sound of the lasguns was somewhat loud, but compared to the sound of Laelia's weapons, they might as well be silent.

Erwine continued to avert her eyes as she heard the impact of the bullets. She heard a brief scream of pain. One of them was still alive. Another bark and the scream stopped.

_Come on. _Laelia dropped the shield and cautiously moved forwards. Erwine followed as before. Her heart was pounding. Her adrenaline was racing. She couldn't believe that she was actually here. She'd been a magical girl for a bit over twelve hours and now she was in her first fight. She knew that she wouldn't die. Erwine just wanted things to slow down a bit.

As she neared the end of the corridor, she tried to avert her eyes from the corpses, but failed. She controlled her stomach once again, but the sight still horrified her. There were four men. Now they were none. One of them…his body was no longer a coherent mass. Another's torso was a mess, and Erwine did her best to contain her stomach.

A third lay there with his body sawn in two at the chest. The fourth man was the one who screamed. Several rounds had taken him in the gut; leaving him somewhat alive. He would've died shortly anyways, and it what was clear that what Laelia had done was out of mercy, not cruelty.

And despite Erwine's best efforts, as she exited the corridor, she could not help but curl down and empty her stomach onto the ground once again. For thirty seconds she retched and coughed, finally ending when she was too tired to continue and had nothing else to throw up. The grief cubes on her head glowed brightly as they worked to remove all contamination from the quickly-darkening soul gem.

Laelia stepped back, and cast a concerned glance at Erwine. But Erwine felt rather dedicated at the moment, dedicated to at least trying, and doing her best. She fell to one knee, but held up a hand to stop Laelia when she offered help. "I'm fine," Erwine muttered, and managed to stand up on her own. Laelia could see that attempting to say anything would be pointless, and moved on.

The two girls advanced into the room beyond the hallway. It was unoccupied. The floor stretched for about 5 meters before reaching the next wall. In the center of the wall was a large steel door. To the side of the large door was another, smaller door.

There was evidence that the room was previously occupied by the guards that Laelia killed in the hallway. There was a metal table in the middle of the room; surrounded by six chairs. Several were knocked over. Playing cards and drinks had been left in the table.

Laelia walked forwards. She dissipated her guns as she moved, not seeing any other threats in the area. Erwine found that strange, but didn't ask why; figuring that Laelia knew what she was doing. The blonde-haired girl approached the large door and placed her hands on it.

_Stand back._ Laelia concentrated for a second, and then with a flash projected her shield. But she focused it at the center of the door. The field of hexagons began to push against the massive door. The initial impact left a large crater that only deepened by the second.

Erwine could only stare wide-eyes at this feat. She knew that a magical girl's power would begin to exponentially increase as she aged. But…this was just incredible. After about ten seconds, Laelia's shield had created a huge bulge in the door. She materialized her guns and opened fire. _Easier than using the guns, _she said, although Erwine was surprised to find that there was something those guns could not pierce quickly.

After about two seconds of firing, a hole large enough to fit a girl Laelia or Erwine's height was created. Laelia bent down and carefully stepped through. She motioned for Erwine to follow her.

The girl slowly approached the door but only looked through the hole, preferring to stay outside, and upon noticing the small space within, she was thankful she made that choice. Inside she found Laelia staring at stacks of small black boxes. _That's what I thought_. Laelia called.

"What?" Erwine asked, still forgetting she could talk telepathically.

_These are the boxes used to transport grief cubes. They're cracking them open; which means that they have someone who can open them._

"Can't they just break them open?" Erwine asked.

_No, they boxes are filled with small amounts of high explosive. If it gets forced open, it detonates killing those around it, and causing wraiths to form. _It was the standard procedure for anything that transported vital materials like grief cubes. They were far too dangerous in the hands of humans, as they would always get into the hands of traitor magical girls, and that meant serious problems if someone had big plans.

_And in this case, _Laelia thought, _big plans are certainly involved. _

"That seems very dangerous," Erwine commented.

_That's the point. We don't want anyone messing with them. But they're being opened by someone, and without tampering from the looks of it. So there's someone on the inside. It looks like about half of the missing boxes from this city are here. Which means that they are also paying someone else. This would smell like Hydra Legion, but we already know who's behind this. _

"What are you talking about?" Erwine asked. That name seemed like the name of a Mage Knight chapter. In fact, Erwine realized, it was, the Hydra Legion was one of the nine traitor legions.

_We're tracing a single person's actions. Everything I have seen so far suggests that she's been the one behind all this._ Laelia replied, _the whole thing is a bit sloppy for her, but we can assume she's moving quickly at the moment. _

_Adrianne is chasing her for…personal reasons. As well as more professional ones, but she's driven by her own problems. Don't ask her about it, she'll tell you when she wants to. _

Erwine was a little annoyed by how she seemed to be locked out of the loop in terms of important information about the motivations of her superior, but she just sighed, knowing that she had not the will to ask Adrianne about it.

Laelia was coming back out of the storage room, _there's no point staying here, but I get the feeling that somebody just fled the scene. _Laelia gestured to the door in the corner of the room. She walked over to it, and found that it was unlocked, "I also have a feeling I know who it is,"

"That person Adrianne's looking for?" Erwine asked.

"Yes," Laelia nodded, "It would be strange, but she's already got an escape planned out for sure."

She gestured for Erwine to follow her as she turned and ran up the stairs, "Stay close, we may have a fight on our hands, "

Erwine froze on the stairs as she heard those words. She was by no means ready to actually kill people. She had managed to bury her initial trauma at seeing the killing easily enough, but she was nowhere near ready to actually start killing people. Erwine shook her head, "No, I can't do this," she insisted.

Laelia nodded, "Yes, you can, now come on," she said, before adding, "We may not even have to do anything at all, so hope for that,"

Erwine instilled that hope in her mind, and found the strength to move forwards once more, surprised at the amazing power of hope. It made sense. After all, she was a magical girl. Hope was supposed to be what they brought to all.

Yet so far, Erwine had experienced very little of it during her time as a magical girl.

* * *

><p>Cube Netting: A simple term for the netting used to hold grief cubes, usually equipped on the head and on the main hand. The cubes channel grief from the gem even at that distance, and can be easily applied due to the nature of the netting. First developed by the Inquisition around the end of the Heresy, and the beginning of widespread recruitment of magical girls and their use as security officials and secret police officers, as opposed to the previously all-Mage Knight force. The need for fast and efficient deployment of grief cubes was large, and without the holding slots in mage knight armor, the solution was not obvious at first. The problem was over-thought for some time until the answer came in the form of the netting. It is now standard issue gear for all magical girls, even mage knights, due to the ease with which it can be mass-produced.<p>

Excerpt from _A Practical Reference Book for All Inquisitorial Personnel, _as published and approved by the Ordo Hereticus

We police the Imperium today because it is our duty to the Goddess. Human are incapable of understanding the bond we share, and the duties we have. Without us, the Imperium would have fallen, and humanity would be slaves to the dark gods. We struggle against all odds to preserve this Imperium, and in order to do so, we may not allow any heresy. We care not for the wants of the Ecclesiarch, the Grand Provost Marshal, the Lord Commander Militant, the Master of the Administratum, or anyone else save the Inquisitorial Representative. You do not need the things you ask for, the fact is that you need us, and we do not need you.

Excerpt from a speech made by the Adeptus Magica Representative in response to the Grand Provost Marshal's speech.

* * *

><p><strong>Ayelen's little talk about extremes was totally a shout-out to something. It's probably also totally obvious to probably most people reading this, but I don't know, may not be. <strong>


	6. Night of Agony

This chapter is really important, in terms of stuff that happens, and I'm afraid that it's not the best it could be. Unfortunately, I don't think there is much more I can do, because while I feel it can be better, every time I look at it, all I do is tweak a few words, and nothing else comes to mind. I'm probably over-blowing the issue, and there probably is no issue, but I'm just apologizing if it feels lackluster in some way.

I'm going to blame the fact that I've gotten hooked on Shin Megami Tensei IV.

* * *

><p>Over the past few millennia, it has been increasingly evident that there is a significant weakness in the way we handle new magical girls. Times have changed from the way they were. The enemy is no longer surprised by the Inquisition, they have not been for thousands of years. Everyone expects the Imperial Inquisition, and they prepare for it accordingly. There is no way for us to prevent them from knowing, lest we somehow convince the galaxy and the Imperium's foes that we do not exist.<p>

Therefore, we must prevent them from preparing for us. They have always expected girls who have been slowly taken into the fold, carefully taught the secrets that only magical girls may know. This cannot stand. We must not, we cannot, continue this practice, as it does not create inquisitor's capable of action. It creates inquisitors who become conservative, safe, refusing to change, willing to do things by the book.

No one save for a few understand that the enemy, or at least most of the enemy, has read this metaphorical book. They know how we work, they know the signs of our presence, because inquisitors have been raised to be safe, lest they fall to corruption.

I will not deny that raising a girl quickly a ruthlessly can easily lead to corruption, but it will certainly lead to an inquisitor who will cut down everything that opposes her. It creates a girl capable of action, not just words and following the rules.

-Excerpt from Lord Inquisitor Halschia Naglera's paper, _To Win a Losing Fight. _

* * *

><p>Ayelen silently waited for Adrianne to return. Only an hour had passed since she and Ayelen had returned. Erwine and Laelia had been sent off on the information gathered by Airi. Ayelen hoped they'd be ok. She knew Laelia would be fine, but she wasn't sure how much Erwine would question her.<p>

Laelia would be fine if Erwine did, but Ayelen knew she'd be silently distressed. Ayelen would have to talk to her later; not that she'd mind. She just hated seeing Laelia hurt.

She worried about Erwine because it would be the younger girl's first taste of combat. Ayelen still shuddered thinking about her first kill. Erwine would be fine physically; Laelia would protect her. But mentally, there was bound to be some damage.

Airi had dozed off on the opposite side of the cabin from Ayelen. She seemed to be skilled at waiting. Ayelen figured it was necessary. Unfortunately, her energetic nature prevented her from mastering it.

She knew where Adrianne had gone and what she'd be doing. She also knew what she'd be doing once Adrianne returned. But what Ayelen didn't know, was where Adrianne would be going after she returned. She hoped that what she thought was wrong.

Because if it wasn't, then Laelia would not be the only one who needed talking to.

Eventually, the Ayelen heard the sound of the door opening. A second later, Adrianne entered the cabin. She strode in and looked at both Airi and Ayelen to see if they were awake.

Seeing that Airi wasn't, she stomped her foot on the metal floor. Airi shot up in surprise and looked around quickly. She saw where she was and calmed.

She glared at Adrianne "I told you not to do that anymore." she complained.

"And I told you not to sleep anymore." Adrianne replied. She pulled two pieces of paper out of her pocket. She unfolded the two of them and handed them to Airi.

Airi looked at them and immediately understood her and Ayelen's task. "What will you be doing?" she wondered.

"I'll will go and ensure Laelia and Erwine are alright, then I'll send Laelia back here, I hope you have the answers for me by then." she explained. She turned to leave, keeping the conversation swift and effective.

"Where will you be taking Erwine?" Ayelen asked, with false confusion. Adrianne clenched her fists.

"I will be taking her on an important mission," Adrianne said; trying to dodge the question.

"Oh yes," Ayelen said with false excitement as she stood up "I'm sure it's _very _important. Care to share the details?"

"No, I think you get the idea already," Adrianne growled; her voice dropping down into a threatening tone. Airi remained silent; knowing it wasn't her place to interrupt.

"Yes, I do," Ayelen said, in a voice truly filled with sadness. "You know what that did to me," she said. She wanted to protect Erwine. Maybe it was protecting her from reality, but she should be allowed to dream.

"I do know what I did to you, and I have concluded that it is best to show them the truth of the galaxy immediately," Adrianne explained.

"She hasn't even been a magical girl for _one day_!" Ayelen yelled. The images of that night, almost ten years before, flashed through her mind. The horror of being forced to torture someone that Ayelen knew nothing about.

It wouldn't happen to Erwine; not on Ayelen's watch.

"She doesn't deserve this!" Ayelen screamed.

"None of us deserved what has happened to us!" Adrianne said. Her voice was not as loud as Ayelen's, but it was filled with hate, not anger.

"You're just doing this because you feel guilty about what happened to you!" Ayelen accused.

"Yes I am!" Adrianne admitted "I'm not letting that happen again!" She was breaking down. Tears began to slowly fall from her eyes.

"Then you have learned nothing, what have you been doing with each of us? Testing exactly when to do certain things? So you can make the best inquisitor possible?" Ayelen questioned. Airi still wanted to intervene, but knew that this was something Ayelen would need to work out with Adrianne.

"Yes, I'll admit that, I have," Adrianne said, in a voice filled with regret, "but you have no idea what I've been through. You don't know true sadness. When you do, you will understand," Adrianne turned around, but stayed in place, frozen by remorse.

"I'll never understand." Ayelen declared. "I'll never be the ruthless killer you are." But as she said those words, Ayelen realized she already was. She had just killed somebody after torturing them. Was that not what Adrianne had made Ayelen do?

Adrianne was silent, knowing the conclusion Ayelen would come to. She thought at first she would have to force Ayelen to shut up, but it was clear that was no longer necessary.

Adrianne began to walk out of the ship. Ayelen began to whisper. Adrianne thoughts mirrored Ayelen's words. At the exact same time, in perfect unison. They both repeated the same quote.

It was the quote of a supposedly great man in the past, a philosopher. His words had somehow survived to this very day.

_"_He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

* * *

><p>Erwine raced up the stairs behind Laelia. She figured that they would be running into trouble soon. Trouble that she might have to solve herself. Erwine braced herself for the combat that would follow when they got out of where they were.<p>

A telepathic communication came from Laelia. Adrianne told me about your ability. I suggest combining a verbal command with a telepathic one.

Erwine nodded and tried to understand. How should I send them a telepathic message?

Laelia sighed. That's right, you haven't been shown how to send to humans yet. Then just command them to do something.

Erwine nodded and took a deep breath. They were nearing the end of the long staircase. At the top was a door. Laelia materialized her machine guns and pointed them at the door.

A few seconds of gunfire and the door was spotted with holes. She leapt and did a flying kick to finish the job; extending her shield as she did.

As soon as Laelia cleared the door way, a barrage of gunfire opened up from all directions. Erwine leapt into the shield to protect herself and assessed her surroundings.

Erwine and Laelia had come out of the door into what looked to be a deserted building. Erwine was surprised it hadn't been torn down already. All that was there were the support columns of the building and the couple dozen armed men opening fire.

They stood in a semicircle around the two girls. They were all equipped with lasguns that seemed to be higher quality than the guards down below. They looked to be fitted with better armor as well.

Of course, neither of those factors would help them survive against a magical girl. Laelia extended her gun forwards and opened fire. She slowly moved her arms to the sides hitting everyone in the circle.

Erwine looked away. She heard the impacts, the cracking of bone, the tearing of flesh. The wet thump their bodies made as they hit the dry, dust-covered floor. She managed to completely control her urge to vomit this time.

She managed to look up and see the torn bodies. The wet, bloody piles of flesh that remained. She knew that Laelia's guns weren't normal. They were magic, functioning as guns larger than what they were.

She stomached the sight of the broken bodies and looked at the other men, expecting to see them cut down.

But they were smart and hit the floor as soon as they saw Laelia's tactic. They still fired from their positions. Several threw small, black, sphere-shaped objects. Erwine realized that they were grenades. She worried that they would break the shield. But their detonations were like pebbles against a fortress.

But most weren't designed to kill. The massively bright and loud detonations produced by them blinded both Erwine and Laelia. Use your gem! Heal the damage! Laelia yelled telepathically. Erwine tried to concentrate on being able to see again and imagined her damaged retinas and eardrums repairing.

The next thing she felt was a sense of discomfort; like something was moving around in her ears, but only a second after the blind grenade went off, Erwine could both see and hear. She glanced around again trying to see where the shooters had gone.

She saw them all retreating to behind the support columns or prebuilt barricades Erwine had just noticed. Laelia opened fire again and cut a few down, but most managed to escape. Erwine estimated there were at least over a dozen left.

Laelia rested her guns on her shoulder. She turned to Erwine smiling. "Well, looks as if you get to do something." Erwine's heart began to race, she began to breath faster. "You take the ones on the left and I'll take the right." Laelia decided.

Erwine nodded, hyperventilating. Her entire body began to tremble, as she realized that she would have to kill people. Laelia noticed and said "They are trying to kill you and they have killed many other people, you have every right to slaughter them."

Erwine twitched at Laelia's use of the word "slaughter". She didn't want to kill them. But she realized that they would kill her otherwise. And that she wouldn't be the first that they kill.

So Erwine held her hands out and focused on summoning her weapon. In the blink of an eye, a greatsword appeared in her outstretched hands. It was about four and a half feet long. Erwine knew it should weigh a huge amount, but it was relatively weightless in her hands.

The blade alone was over three feet. The rest of the sword was the massive grip. But for four inches from the start of the blade was a large guard to block opposing weapons. At the end of that were two large parrying hooks; extending for about two or three inches from the guard. The other eight inches or so was the handle of the massive blade. Erwine believed she'd seen the blade in a book before. It was called a zweihander.

The sword lay flat across her two hands. Erwine slowly shifted it down into a grip and gave it an experimental swing. It was incredibly well-balanced, Erwine could swing it with ease, despite the fact she was only thirteen.

"You done?" Laelia cut in. Erwine realized she'd been examining the blade for a minute. Gunfire still flickered off of the shield. Laelia still took occasional snapshots at men ducking in and out of cover.

Erwine looked down at the sword in her hands. She breathed in deep. She exhaled. She turned to Laelia and nodded. Laelia smiled "You can do this."

Erwine focused on her first target. A man behind a pillar; he was about ten yards away. She could easily make the distance. She swung the greatsword behind her to her right; still grasping it with both hands. She crouched down into a lunge, like a cat waiting to pounce. I can do this. I am an agent of the Holy Inquisition. I can do this. For the Goddess.

"Erwine," Laelia said quietly, "I need you to do something very important. Focus, breathe deeply, and tell yourself to enhance your body."

"What?" Erwine asked, not understanding the order.

"Just give your mind the instructions to start to enhance your body, tell it to-never mind," Laelia with a shake of her head. Then, Erwine received what could only be a large block of text telepathy, she was overwhelmed by the number of words that were being streamed into her mind.

"Recite every single line of that to yourself, but focus them as commands to your mind. Don't speak out loud, think them, and focus them on your magic," Laelia said, then explained, "Magical girls, since we are just souls within bodies, can use magic to enhance our bodies, improve their functions. You can make effectively every single part of your body's functions more efficient, to maximize the energy you can use in combat."

Erwine looked at the long list that Laelia had sent her, and started to think of those sentences as commands. She started to feel a difference, as her breathing changed, her stance changed subtly, and she just felt…different in general.

Erwine called upon her soul gem to enhance her body. To increase her focus, as she knew she could. The clutter of her other thoughts cleared from her mind. She was focused only on the battle she faced. Her muscles felt stronger, her adrenaline seemed to increase. She could breathe less, with every bit of air being used to its maximum potential.

Erwine had always read about this being done by Mage Knights, in one of the books she had the chance to read while on the shuttle, but she thought it was just propaganda. But when she tried it herself, it worked. It worked wonders. But the downside was that it hurt. She was changing her body for a specific situation. But even the pain and discomfort were quickly taken way as she willed he magic to block that part of her mind.

The soul gem. The magical girl. They were truly miracles. They were real. Miracles and magic, they were real. Erwine could feel it right now.

She was torn out of her thoughts as Laelia leapt off towards the right without warning. Erwine realized she was no longer covered by the shield. She sprang forwards with all her might; barely avoiding a barrage of beams. She could feel her own magic pushing herself forward. At the same time, at the top of her lungs, she yelled "Stop!"

The command was laced with the magic Erwine knew she could use, and for some reason, the calm comforting nature of Laelia had given her the power, the will, to actually use that magic. It may not have done much, but it certainly gave her an easier time dealing with the first few men she killed.

She jumped about fifteen feet before landing. She ducked and spun in a full circle to throw off the gunmen. She watched as several beams stabbed through the space she previously occupied. She noticed all of the shots came from the shooters besides the one in front of her. That meant her power had worked.

As soon as she faced her target, Erwine leapt again. This time she made it. As she neared her destination, she began to swing. The man ducked behind the pillar once again. But that wouldn't save him from four feet of magic metal.

Erwine put her own mass into the swing. As she landed she twisted her feet to follow the arc her blade transcribed. She ended looking back towards where she had come from. The movement gave extra strength to her swing. Even Mage Knight power armor would've struggled to hold it back.

Against the comparatively flimsy armor and flesh of this man, it sliced him clean in half. The upper portion of his body hit the ground with a wet thud. The lower part leaned against the pillar, slowly sliding downwards. The blade continued halfway through the solid ferrocrete pillar.

The turn also saved Erwine from having to look at the man she just killed. Her soul was filled with regret, and she could feel the grief cubes sucking the grief out of the gem on her head. She had told herself she could do this. She thought she would be ok. But she wasn't. She paused for the slightest second, reflecting on what she'd done.

But in a close fight like this one, every second was a minute. Erwine realized what she was doing and hit the ground. She left her sword stuck in the pillar. Not even a millisecond later and hundreds of bright red lances tore into the air above her prone body.

Erwine almost panicked. She thought she was dead. All those men and to do was angle the guns downward and Erwine would be dead. But her primal reactions kicked in. Fight or flight. Fight was the only option. So she fought. In a scream that made her own throat hurt, Erwine cried out "STOP!" This roar was directed at the five men currently firing upon her.

For a second the fire stopped. They stumbled back as though struck in the head. Erwine capitalized on this chance. She leapt up and grabbed the hilt of the massive sword. She ran counterclockwise around the pillar; pulling the blade out using the pillar as a counterweight.

When she finished, she was behind the pillar with her back to it, on the other side were the five men. She could hear the crack of their weapons as they opened fire again. Erwine looked at her options. Eventually, she decided on what she thought was the best plan.

She turned to the right and sprang forwards. Except this time she pushed her magic to the limits. She could feel her gem straining to keep up with the demand. But she cleared the thirty feet in almost a single leap.

Erwine landed with her left foot forward. She pushed off of that foot stabbing the greatsword ahead of her. The man tried to jump to the side, but he was too slow. The tip of the blade caught him in the shoulder. He screamed in pain.

The massive force behind Erwine's strike drove the blade all the way through and even came close to pushing the guard of the sword through. She quickly held the body in front of her own. A volley of gunfire proceeded to tear into the hanging body.

The man shook and screamed as he was killed by his own comrades. Erwine tried to shut out the noise, but failed. The sound of his screaming would haunt her for a long time.

Erwine let the body slide off of the blade and leapt off towards the next two men. They crouched behind a barricade positioned in between two columns. Both of them were perfectly lined up.

Erwine already had the blade pointed towards the ground, so she moved it in an upward slash. Hopefully, the man would be perfectly bisected. But all of a sudden, Erwine felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

Without looking, she knew that she had been shot. Her gem moved quickly to suppress the pain, but there was only so much it could do in its current state. Erwine gritted her teeth, but a scream still slipped out. Had her feet been on the ground, she would've stumbled.

But she was still in flight towards the one who shot her. If Erwine was unsure of killing before, this had shown her reality. She would have to kill these people, or they would kill her. She poured all of the pain-generated rage into her strike. When she did hit the ground her sword flew true and the man was cut in half.

The shot had brought reality to Erwine; and that meant the other feelings along with that. She could feel the hot blood slashing onto her body, and realized that most of her body was specked or covered with blood.

It made her want to scream in terror, but she suppressed the urge. If she screamed, then she would waste time. And if she wasted time, then she would die. It was very simple.

Erwine saw the man in front of her. She saw him pull the trigger. The shots went into Erwine's left leg causing the girl to fall. She used her sword to hold herself up, but she had fallen. The three remaining shooters all had easy shots at the gem on her head.

Unless…unless Erwine could do what might kill her. She felt her soul gem filled with grief. This was its first battle. It was already strained. She could try to use her command power again. But that would cause her to fill with grief and die.

Unless Erwine could compensate. So she stopped suppressing the pain. She stopped suppressing her other thoughts. She even stopped healing the cauterized holes in her stomach and leg.

The pain slammed into her like a battleship. She screamed as everything hit her at once. The pain, the fear, the anger. She took that anger and poured it into a command. She turned the scream into a single word "NO."

It was not a scream. It was not a yell. It was not Erwine begging them to stop and letting her magic do the rest. It was a command. And it worked.

Even as Erwine struggled to stay conscious amidst the pain, the three men that had wanted to kill her a second ago found themselves struggling to remember how to pull the trigger. Erwine looked upwards; she yanked her sword from the ground. She stood and took a single step; swinging the greatsword over her head.

The man in front of her was split in half. The two parts fell in opposite directions. Erwine no longer felt remorse. She felt only hate. She struggled to keep upright, the pain make her delirious. She thought about how it would be easier to die. If this was to be her life, why not just die? But that wasn't what Erwine had promised herself before, she realized. She had promised to fight for the good of the Imperium.

Dying would accomplish nothing. So Erwine stood tall; defiantly facing the two left alive. The nearest to Erwine overcame the command and pointed his gun, ready to fire. He was fifteen feet away.

Erwine knew that with her damaged leg, she couldn't make it. So she dropped to the ground and avoided his initial shots. She reached and grabbed the lasgun of the man who she had just bisected.

She grasped the gun in her hands. She aimed upwards and pointed the barrel at the man who had opened fire. Erwine held down the trigger. There was no recoil, which surprised Erwine. But why would there be? It was only firing beams of light.

Erwine's aim was not very accurate, but the rate of fire compensated and the man was lanced into by the dozens of bolts. Erwine pulled the trigger until the man fell to the ground, his torso a smoking mess.

The other man, who was around forty-five feet away, was also beginning to recover. He began to aim his gun at Erwine. The girl knew she couldn't make it in time and that her aim was nowhere near good enough to make the shot.

So instead, she grabbed the greatsword and threw it. Clutching the hilt with both hands, Erwine hefted it with all her might, magical and normal. The massive sword flew through the air. Had the man been at his full senses, he would've tried to dodge it. He would have failed, the sword was traveling faster than Erwine could see.

But he wasn't, so the massive sword flipped through the air and struck him. The sword was balanced, so he was struck with the blade pointing straight out.

The edge lanced through his lower torso and came out the other end. He was knocked back. The momentum of the blade was enough to launch him back a couple meters, where he landed roughly on his back, slamming into the ground. Erwine could hear him crying out in pain. The Nosie was enough to make her wince. She walked over to him, looking down at his dying form. He looked up at her, begging for her to finish him off. Erwine found herself frozen by fear, unable to do anything whatsoever. After a minute, his cries ceased. He died staring up at the blood-covered Erwine, his hand reaching out to beg for a quick end that Erwine was unable to give.

Yet the girl felt no remorse. She didn't care that she had just killed six people. Until she looked down. She saw that she was covered in blood. It was not her own blood. It was the blood of the two people she'd cut in half, the blood of the man she'd stabbed and used as a shield, it was the blood of the man she'd ran through like he was a pig.

Erwine screamed. She fell to her knees and screamed. She curled into a little ball and screamed. She cried. She cried uncontrollably. She cried at the realization that she'd just killed six people. She'd killed them. Killed. Killed. Killed. Killed. Killed. The word kept repeating over and over and over. And it wouldn't stop.

* * *

><p>Airi had been working ever since Adrianne had left. She had gone over the lists of names and shipments; trying to discover the traitor. But she had gotten nowhere. It didn't help that Ayelen wasn't even trying to assist Airi.<p>

Around an hour ago, Adrianne had forwarded her a message form Laelia. Apparently, whoever the traitor was, she was capable of opening rather large shipments. That would mean she was higher up.

That significantly shortened the list of possible suspects. Airi was coming close to finding some gap in the reports when she decided to speak to Ayelen.

The girl had buried her face in her knees. She sat there, curled up like an insect. She hadn't moved for an hour. Airi wasn't surprised. Not after what Ayelen had done.

Airi would have preferred to let Ayelen overcome the problem herself, but she needed to be ready to help Erwine or possibly Laelia when they returned.

"You know, Adrianne is trying her best." Airi said. Ayelen didn't move.

"That's news to me." She replied, her voice full of regret.

"You really don't understand what she's been through." Airi said, in a neutral voice.

"You're right," Ayelen said "I don't understand at all, I can only be told over and over again, but that gives her no right to do what she has done,"

"I guess you're right," Airi replied. "She has no right, but you have to accept that this is who Adrianne is."

"And how would you know that?" Ayelen asked, her voice dripping with venom.

"You know how I know," Airi scolded "She found me only a year after she became a full inquisitor. I know how she sees the galaxy."

"I know," Ayelen admitted, she finally looked up, "It's just that I feel as if you might be able to help her, seeing as how you know how she thinks." That comment was aimed to hurt Airi. And it did, the black-haired girl shot out of her seat.

She screamed, "Don't you ever say I haven't tried to help her!"

"I didn't say you never tried, I just meant that you can't help her," Ayelen said, looking away from Airi once again, as if she was bored by her anger, "So I suggest you just stop trying,"

Airi began to cry. She was startled. Why was she crying? Because of what Ayelen is saying, or was it because of her feelings?

"I can help her," Airi declared. "I have been!" But she knew it was a lie. As the words left her mouth, she knew that Ayelen would not believe her.

"You…you are a pitiful excuse for an interrogator," Ayelen hissed.

"What is wrong, Ayelen? I have tried, ever since I met Adrianne, to stop her from doing thing the way she does." Airi fell back down into her seat; hopeless.

"I know…" Ayelen said; looking away from Airi. She realized that she had been cruel. "I have no right to judge you." She admitted.

Airi stayed silent. "I have no right to insult you because you can't succeed; even though you tried." Ayelen continued.

Airi still showed no signs of movement. "I won't go after Adrianne like that again; I'll let you try to help her, you know her best." Ayelen promised. She thought it was pointless. She'd clearly severely wounded Airi's pride. She didn't think there was a way to fix the situation.

She got up and grabbed the list provided by Adrianne. She intended to continue where Airi left off. But as she walked back to the other side, a hand latched on to Ayelen's hand.

"I'm sorry." Airi said, smiling. "I honestly shouldn't be getting over this so fast, but I think something in this world should have a happy ending." Airi pulled the younger girl down next to her.

"Come on, I was almost done." She said. Ayelen couldn't help but smile. The two of them set to work, both believing that everything would work out in the end.

* * *

><p>Killed. Killed. Killed. Killed. Killed. Killed. That word kept repeating over and over. Erwine tore her soul gem from its place on her head and held it in her right hand. She could see it beginning to fill with grief. How funny it was, she though, that she fight for her life only to lose it because she fought.<p>

She had only been a magical girl for less than a day. And here she was, about to die. She wondered where Laelia was. Was the other girl dead? It didn't matter, there was nothing Laelia could do to help.

Then a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. Erwine didn't pay attention; too fixated on the soul gem in front of her. The cubes attached to her hand were helping to decrease the grief, but eventually it would be too little, too late.

Another hand was placed on her soul gem. The hand lifted it out of Erwine's hands. The hand lifted from her shoulder and clasped Erwine's gem along with the other hand. Erwine could see soul gems beginning to heal the grief. So Laelia was alive, maybe she could help. Erwine didn't believe that Laelia could help.

Then Erwine recognized that those hands didn't belong to Laelia. They belonged to someone that Erwine trusted far more. Adrianne kneeled above Erwine. Her hands held Erwine's soul gem in a firm, yet gentle grip.

Erwine opened her mouth to speak, but Adrianne spoke first. "Don't talk, just relax, you'll be alright." She had the same soothing voice that she had before, when they first met.

Erwine did as she was told and waited for Adrianne to finish. She noticed Laelia walking over to the two of them. She was not as covered in blood as Erwine was. "Sorry Erwine, I would've stepped in, but you seemed to have things under control."

Erwine's anger rose slightly at Laelia's words. _She was there all along, yet she let me get shot up? _

"I also would've healed your gem for you, but Adrianne seems to have taken on that duty." Laelia smiled. It wasn't one of joy, but one of pride.

Erwine ignored Adrianne's instructions and asked "Why are you proud of me? I just killed six people."

"You know why I'm proud, Erwine. I'm proud because you managed to do it on your own, with no assistance from anyone else. And you have to remember that they would've killed you," Adrianne was smiling, it was strange that she would do such a thing in this situation, but it only made Erwine feel better, that Adrianne was proud of her.

She thought that if Adrianne was proud of her, then she could not have done anything wrong. Erwine felt her hear swell as Adrianne brightly smiled at her, the simple gesture being enough to rejuvenate Erwine.

Erwine came close to shaking her head, refusing to feel better, but then she realized the kind of world she was in. "I have to get used to this, I guess," Erwine said softly.

"Unfortunately," Adrianne confirmed, but then said, "It does get easier after a while, but I doubt that helps,"

That fact both helped and horrified Erwine. She never wanted to feel that killing a human being could be easy, but she didn't want to go through this same amount of pain each time she had to in the future.

Erwine thought back to the pain in her stomach and leg, and realized the pain was still there. It was subdued, but it was still present. She remembered the rage that the pain gave her. She remembered the reason to fight that the pain gave her. And she came closer to realizing how it was right to kill them.

"Laelia is right." Adrianne agreed. "You need not worry about morals, not anymore. We do what must be done."

Erwine swallowed. She was only beginning to realize the true extent of the burden that had been placed upon her. Behind her, Adrianne stood up. Erwine realized she felt much better. Her wounds were healing once again.

So she slowly pushed herself up and tried to stand. But her leg gave way and she almost hit the ground. Adrianne caught her and stood her up once again. Erwine leaned into Adrianne's shoulder to support herself.

"Should I be going?" Laelia asked. Adrianne nodded. Laelia immediately turned and headed off in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" Erwine wondered. Adrianne looked in the opposite direction from Erwine.

"We…we are going somewhere very important." Adrianne said. Her voice was stained with regret, but Erwine was not able to entirely catch the undertone. Erwine did feel that Adrianne was hiding something. But she stayed silent.

"You might want to do something about that." Adrianne smiled, changing the topic. She pointed at Erwine's greatsword, still impaling the corpse. Erwine nodded and focused on dissipating it. A second later and the blade dissolved into blue and silver particles.

Adrianne began leading Erwine off in the opposite direction of the way Laelia had gone. After a few minutes, Erwine's leg had healed enough so she could walk on her own.

"You should give that thing a name." Adrianne said. Erwine figured it was about her sword.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it's fun," Adrianne said, as if it was obvious. "It gives a sense of character to the weapon."

Erwine was positively mystified. "But, why would you give a name to something that's not alive?"

"Why do we name starships?" Adrianne responded.

Erwine mentally smacked herself for not thinking of that. "Ok, but what should I name it?"

"I don't know, pick a name that you think fits it well." Adrianne said. The two of them were about to exit the building. Erwine looked around wondering where they'd go.

"We are going up," Adrianne said, as if she read Erwine's mind. As soon as they exited the building, she transformed and leapt upwards. She grabbed a ledge before leaping again. Eventually, she got to the top. Erwine sighed and followed her; albeit at a slower pace.

When Erwine reached the top, she immediately looked around. The first thing she noticed was that she was very high up. The ground seemed very far away. A gust of wind came by, and Erwine stumbled. She caught herself and glared at Adrianne.

"Why are we up here?" she demanded.

"We need to talk." Adrianne said as she sat down, her legs hanging out over the edge of the building. Erwine proceeded to do the same. She stared down tediously at the ground, wondering if a randomly strong gust would send her tumbling off.

"What do we need to talk about?"

"We need to talk about you."

Erwine was taken aback. She'd just gotten over the problems involving her killing people. What else was there to talk about? _I didn't exactly get over them, I guess, _Erwine thought, _I suppose I just forget about them for the time being. _

"What about me?" She questioned.

"You just killed six people, right?" Erwine nodded at the question. "Well, how do you feel about helping me get answers from someone?"

"What do you mean by that?" Erwine asked.

"I mean that there is a traitor in the ranks of the local girls." Adrianne responded. Her voice had become serious. Very serious. "She knows who the girls who have interacted with the enemy are, I need to know those names."

Erwine put two and two together. The answer was not something she liked. "You…you want me to help you t-t-torture someone?" Erwine asked, bewildered. Her eyes were wide with fear, her voice stuttering in shock.

"No, not torture, I prefer the word 'interrogate'." Adrianne said. She gazed into Erwine's eyes.

"It doesn't matter." Erwine declared. "I refuse to help you do that!" She paused where she stood, not moving another inch from her position.

"Unfortunately, you have little choice in the matter." Adrianne stated.

"No-no-no, I can't!" Erwine exclaimed.

"Yes, yes you can." Adrianne responded. "It is the same thing as before, whoever the traitor is, she is a threat to the security of the sub-sector. You said that you will fight for the many, not the few."

Erwine understood. She was the few right now. And the countless inhabitants of the sub-sector and all its worlds were the many. She breathed in deeply. "I understand that, but I can't, I don't have the will." She admitted.

"Unfortunately, you must have the will, this is not an option, it is not a test, it is a wake-up call." Erwine was shocked by Adrianne's cruelty. Why did this girl who had been helping her minutes before, now want to put Erwine through such a thing?

Adrianne tilted her head. She nodded. She focused her eyes on Erwine once again. "I have the name and the location. Come on." It was a command. Erwine realized she had no choice. Head tilted down in sorrow, she followed Adrianne as she leapt off the roof.

The two accelerated downwards before breaking their fall via magic. Both landed in a blast of wind and light. Adrianne ran off. Erwine followed after her. She was slower, but unfortunately, she realized that she had little choice. And besides, had Adrianne done anything to intentionally hurt Erwine so far?

The run took them through the winding streets and alleys of the hive. Adrianne seemed to know exactly where she was going. Erwine barely paid attention to her surroundings, focused only on what she knew would happen.

What was Adrianne going to do, bust in the door and drag the girl out? Tell her parents the truth? Lie and say she was a friend from the city guard? There were many possibilities. But only one was the correct answer.

After what seemed like half an hour, but was most likely only ten minutes or so of actual running, probably even less, Adrianne and Erwine arrived at their destination. They were in front of a hab complex. Erwine realized it was very similar to the one she lived in. _Used to live in_,she reminded herself.

Adrianne approached the entrance. Erwine followed several steps behind. They entered the building. Adrianne started to ascend the staircases; taking several steps at a time.

Erwine did the same. She kept denying the truth. They weren't really going to torture anyone. It was just a cruel prank. A very cruel joke, but a joke.

Erwine wished that was true. Because she knew it wasn't. Adrianne wanted her to see the truth of how things worked. And this was how she would see it. As Adrianne began to home in on a door, Erwine began to become misty-eyed.

She had no idea what role she would play, yet she still cried. Even watching, even knowing it was happening would be too much.

Adrianne brought her hand up and rang the doorbell. She waited a few seconds and the door was opened. Standing behind it was a black-haired middle-aged man.

"Hello," he said "Who are you?"

Adrianne put on a smile. It terrified Erwine because it was so sincere. It was almost sadistic. "Hello, I need to see your daughter."

The man looked confused. He narrowed his eyebrows "Do I know you?"

"No, you don't," Adrianne replied, "But that doesn't matter." Adriane removed her soul gem from her costume and showed him the inquisitorial 'I'. He shuddered in fright.

"I…I understand," he replied. He turned and walked back into the hab. A minute later a brown-haired girl came back out. Erwine regained her composure. The girl was taller than either Adrianne or Erwine. She wore a nightgown. She rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"What is it?" she wondered. She glanced at Adrianne and Erwine and realized exactly what. "Wait, you aren't from this city are you?" Her look of sleepiness turned into one of horror.

"Indeed." Adrianne said in a tone filled with malice. She reached behind the girl, grabbing the door and slammed it shut. She grabbed the girl by the collar, "Let's go for a little walk, eh?"

* * *

><p>The Inquisition of the 41st Millennium was very different from the Inquisition of the 32nd Millennium.<p>

Nine thousand years ago, the Inquisition was just coming into existence. It was beginning to understand what it had been made to do. It was beginning to understand that it had no boundaries whatsoever.

This was a problem. The reason that it was a problem was quite simple. The reason was that the Inquisition was composed of nothing but fanatical puritan Inquisitors.

In their eyes, anyone who did anything remotely out of the ordinary was automatically under suspicion.

This was only amplified by another issue. The issue was that of where magical girls fit in. Many humans did not want anything to do with magical girls, not after the mass betrayals during the Heresy.

In fact, they wanted to place every chapter in the Imperium under constant surveillance. They wanted Inquisitorial stations on every chapter planet. They wanted a human Inquisitor permanently assigned to every single chapter.

The mage knights did not exactly like this. They were not fanatical believers in the Goddess, and knew that if they were heavily investigated, they might come under attack, simply because they were not idolizing the Goddess every second of their lives.

So what the Chapter Masters decided to do was to stack the government in their favor. They created plans to sell magical girls as angels, to show the Imperium that they were the chosen of the Goddess, and that girls must be praise like her messengers.

It was a plan that defied everything they had been told by the Empress. She had said to never worship her, because that was not going to help anyone at all. She simply wanted everyone to believe in the message of hope that she intended to spread.

The Chapter Masters understood this, and intended to spread this hope by taking control of society.

However, their plan to rule quickly spiraled out of control, and magical girls were soon being bowed to wherever they walked. Praise and worship was heaped upon them wherever they walked.

The Inquisition, after a couple hundred years of arguments, quickly came to exist mainly of magical girls. In the first century of tis existence, five percent of it was magical girls. After three hundred years, ninety percent of it was magical girls. That number only increased from that point.

So the issue of the Mage Knights was resolved quickly, but the fact was that the many, many magical girls that were Inquisitors were quite unsuited to the duty they faced.

They were constantly faced with situations that tested their abilities to keep their grief under check. This led to arguments against magical girls from the human side, but those were quickly silenced through various methods.

Magical girls remained strong, however, and over time the veterans of the first years were ready to train new girls. They would collect an entire group of them, and work with them as if they were a family.

This strategy led to much success amongst the magical girl inquisitors, and soon, the humans realized the futility of arguing against creatures who can do the work of a hundred humans in less time.

That was when magical girls dominated the Inquisition, and the wars between the longstanding puritans, and the budding radical began.

They had their origins in arguments over what kind of authority the Inquisition possessed. The fact was that they were all expected to demand worship of the Goddess, while worshipping her.

The Ecclesiarchy had its fingers tightly gripped around the human side of the Inquisition, and was firmly backing them. The two groups were very ready to push magical girls out of Imperial politics for good the instant any girl showed a sign of weakness.

The puritans argued that magical girls ought to listen to the Ecclesiarchy, and at least show more respect to the Goddess than they already did. But radicals argued that it was the Ecclesiarchy who needed to be crushed, and through doing so, they could usher in a new age of prosperity. And even then, the puritans only fought this way to prevent another schism in the Imperium, and to preserve the tedious peace.

Nothing evolved into actually fighting, but many harsh words were said that would be remembered for a long time. Eventually, the radicals were convinced to stand down from their position of war, even though they were fully backed by many Mage Knight chapters.

However, the grudges that were created in these arguments were never forgotten.

* * *

><p>Laelia walked alone through the hive. She looked down; not paying attention to the world around her. Remembering her past was hard. It wasn't Erwine's fault. The girl was just curious.<p>

There was nothing wrong with that. Humans were naturally curious. That was why the Inquisition was needed. To restrain that curiosity. But sometimes, lines were crossed. And innocents were killed.

Laelia didn't know if she'd ever killed an innocent. Maybe she had, she didn't know. There would be no point lamenting about it now. Not when the future was still ahead of her.

Laelia always wondered what her fate would be. It was a question that drove inquisitors and philosopharchs alike insane. Did some great being, like the Goddess set their destinies? Or was it the job of the person to choose what paths they follow?

Laelia had almost gotten into an argument with a Puritan once on the issue of fate. It ended with Adrianne having to convince the other girl's inquisitor that Laelia wasn't having 'heretical thoughts'.

Laelia hated the Goddess-damned Puritans. The Inquisition is given power, rights and freedom equaled only by the Mage Knights and its response is to not do anything with that power? The idiots.

She looked up from her thoughts and saw that she had gone off-course. She didn't recognize her surroundings. She wasn't worried about wraiths or gangs. She could easily dispatch both of those. But a problem could come from people in the employ of the Osbeornes; whose men Erwine and Laelia had just killed.

Laelia assessed her surroundings; it seemed she was near her destination, as she saw signs pointing her towards the landing fields. But where she was exactly was unclear. She heard footsteps in the distance. Laelia ran and crouched against a wall; in a patch of darkness not lit by the streetlamps.

She could hear the steps of about a dozen people. Laelia could dispatch easily them in this open space. As they came into view, she saw it was just a bunch of workers, headed home from manufactories.

They were too tired to notice Laelia and walked by her hiding spot. The girl stood again and checked the signs. She soon figured out where to go and started walking in that direction; following the path she had been.

However, before her foot could lift off the ground, Laelia was stopped by a voice. "What are you doing all alone out here?" it cooed.

Laelia froze. Slowly, she turned to see the girl behind her. The girl was somehow in the exact same place Laelia was a second before. Laelia cocked her head to the side; trying to recognize the girl. "I don't know? Who wants to know?" she sternly responded.

"Oh, I think you know," the girl took a step closer. Laelia's crossed her arms as the realization hit her. The last person Laelia had wanted to see had found her. She wore what Laelia recognized as her magical girl costume. It was a dress; a rare occurrence.

"Why are you here, Celestine?" Laelia sighed. The other girl was too obscured for Laelia to make out details.

"I asked first." She responded.

"What do you think? I'm here on a mission." Laelia explained proudly.

"Walking about in the dark? That's your mission?" Celestine asked. Laelia sighed. She turned around.

"I see no reason to keep talking to you." She stated. But Celestine took another step forwards.

"You know, skulking around without official knowledge isn't such a great idea." Celestine said.

Laelia knew very well that it was bait, but she still bit. "And let our adversaries know of our presence?" She countered as she swung back towards the purple-haired girl.

"Did you know of our arrival?" Celestine asked.

Laelia was forced to say that she hadn't. Her eyes scanned the girl in front of her, now more illuminated by the light.

Her black dress was ankle-length and decorated with strips of bright purple. Her upper body was covered by a double-breasted jacket of deep purple coloration. Her head was covered was by a wide brimmed purple hat that featured no additional decorations. Her lightly curled violet hair fell down to her shoulders. Celestine's hands were protected by a pair of black wrist-length gloves.

"That's what I thought. You see? Going through official channels can be better." She said victoriously.

"Did you know we were here? Or were you walking around in the dark'?" Laelia asked.

Celestine's smile was vanquished by Laelia's question. "I guess I too was on a mission." She admitted. Laelia smiled in victory. Celestine also smiled, for a different reason. "It's good to see you again." She said.

Laelia nodded. "Now that we've gotten the mandatory rivalry over with, how about we walk around in the dark for a bit?" Her smile turned into one of friendship.

Celestine ran up beside Laelia. "That's a great idea." She declared.

* * *

><p>Erwine found herself staring at the spread-eagled form of the girl impaled to the wall. They had gone out into an alley a ways away from the hab. Adrianne had brutally thrown the girl against the wall and before she could react, the inquisitor had stabbed knives into the girls palms and shoulders.<p>

Then the questioning had begun. Erwine wasn't involved yet. But she was sure Adrianne was only softening the other girl up.

After about five minutes, Adrianne had called Erwine over. Erwine had stumbled over crying. She stared at the girl hanging from the wall. "Well, look like's you got a trump card, but how old is she, she looks about thirteen, acts the same too." The brown-haired girl commented, then to Adrianne she remarked with a smirk, "Of course, you seem the same age,"

"Shut up." Adrianne commanded. The other girl laughed. She snickered on and on until the inquisitor punched her in the throat.

The supposed traitor croaked, but choked out, "You really expect me to listen to you? So who is she? What's she gonna do?"

"Make you talk." Was the short reply. Adrianne had enough of the girl already, and this rage was on display for Erwine to see. Erwine's entire body was shaking wildly, but she approached Adrianne and the girl slowly.

"Good luck. I know people who will find me and make me pay for talking." This sentence had just a bit of fear in it, as if the girl really did believe that she would be caught for her slip-up.

"I'm sure," Adrianne turned to Erwine "Do it, for the good of humanity," This brought another laugh from the other girl.

"I love hearing people say that, you need to realize the Imperium's dying." Adrianne didn't respond. Her muscles were tense. She wanted to strike back, but she waited for Erwine to act.

Erwine walked closer to the girl. She thought about if her power would work. Adrianne had made the girl angry, which might make her more susceptible to magical suggestion.

Erwine stood about a foot away from the girl. They looked into each other's eyes. A breeze blew through the alleyway. Erwine took a deep breath and cried. She turned her tears and all her rage at Adrianne into a command. "Tell me the names of the other traitors." Erwine growled, in a voice filled with hatred.

Behind Erwine, Adrianne watched as the younger girl performed the fist of her many interrogations. Adrianne had to admit, Erwine's ability would be very useful for that sort of thing. Her foolish morals were also easy to exploit.

Not that Adrianne had any feelings of ill will towards Erwine. The girl just didn't understand how the universe worked. This was her second lesson; the battle shortly before could be considered the first lesson.

The brunette shuddered; drawing a cry of pain from her. But she didn't talk. Adrianne had to admit, she was tough. Erwine was doing well. But Adrianne could tell she wouldn't hold out.

She noticed Erwine's gem filling with grief. This wouldn't go well if it continued. Every command took a great deal of power and Erwine's own grief only made it worse.

Adrianne didn't have enough cubes to rescue the girl again. She would have to do it on her own.

Erwine cried. She shook tears from the corners of her eyes. She turned around to glare at her master. "Why?"

"You know why," was the response. Adrianne sighed. She looked away from Erwine. "But you don't understand, I can tell you why, but you're too foolish to truly understand."

"I don't think _torture _is necessary."

"I can assure you it is."

"No it isn't," Erwine declared. "This has nothing to do with me not understanding, just a hour ago, you were treating me like the person I am." Erwine paused to take a deep breath and stand up straighter. "This isn't about getting information or justice or saving the Imperium. This is about revenge, isn't it?"

Adrianne's head slowly turned back down towards Erwine; betraying no emotions. "You know nothing." She declared.

"That may be true," Erwine admitted "But I am well read, I know that this is a personal vendetta against someone, like it walked right out of a book."

Adrianne looked down. Her face cracked into a grin. She threw her head upwards and cackled. Like a maniac. Erwine took a step away from the laughing girl. "This is why it is pointless," said the girl behind Erwine. "This girl's crazy, you should cut your losses," she suggested.

Adrianne calmed down. She brought her head back down; an insane grin on her face. "Oh shut up," she commanded "I am sane, I _don't_ consort with heretics, I deliver the Goddess's judgment."

"Of course you do," laughed the girl. "I'm sure you've said that every time you've had a little girl do this."

"They need to understand."

"Understand what? That you're a maniac on a revenge quest?"

"I am no maniac," Adrianne repeated. Erwine was stuck in the middle of the two. She wanted both to stop. But neither would listen to her.

"Tell that to your little pet,"

"And what are you? Nothing but a puppet of people far stronger than you." Adrianne accused. Erwine realized that she could make them stop.

"I agree, but they pay me well for my services." The brown-haired girl stated.

Erwine intervened before Adrianne could speak. She grasped her soul gem in her right hand; healing its grief. She opened her mouth and commanded "Stop, both of you!"

The arguing girls turned their head to Erwine. Both looked as if they were partially affected by Erwine's magic. Adrianne cocked her head to the side in interest. "I'm impressed, good work," she complemented. She raised her finger at the girl. "Now use that on her."

Erwine shook her head in refusal. "No, I won't help you satisfy your thirst for revenge."

"Well then, what will you do no-"The girl was interrupted by Adrianne lancing a knife into her gut. The blonde-haired girl twisted the knife slowly. The girl groaned in pain. But she didn't speak; her look of defiance was kept on her face.

"I'll do this," Adrianne responded, grinning sadistically. She released her grip on the knife and summoned six more, held in-between her fingers. She plunged the knives into the girl's ribs, laughing.

Erwine fell to her knees in horror. She almost began to run. She almost began to attack Adrianne. But she was too transfixed and horrified by the scene taking place in front of her.

Adrianne released the six blades and stretched her right arm out behind her. In that hand she formed a long straight blade. "I, Adrianne Azure, Inquisitor of Her Majesty's Holy Imperial Inquisition, judge thee, Katskya Fyodorov, guilty of heresy against the Goddess and Her Imperium, the punishment is..." She flipped the blade around into a reverse grip. "Death." She smiled once again. Her right arm swung in an arc. The blade stabbed directly into the girl's soul ring.

Katskya's face was temporarily transfixed with horror; before her eyes fell closed and her head bobbed downwards. Her mouth slowly closed. Her breathing just stopped. There were no last few moments of life; just instant death.

Erwine felt tears slip out of the corners of her eyes. She stared up at Adrianne. She seemed to be smiling. It wasn't a joyful smile. It was a smile of satisfaction. She was smiling at the death of this girl. Erwine realized she was right.

Adrianne wasn't someone out to save those who couldn't save themselves. She was a madwoman out for revenge. Adrianne looked up at the sky. The stars were obscured by clouds.

Adrianne dropped her blade. In its place she summoned a small notebook. It was no larger than her hand; about six by four inches. She then flipped it open. It was almost halfway used.

Adrianne then took her left hand reached down to one of Katskya's wounds in her ribs. Blood was still slowly dripping downwards. Adrianne smeared her pointer finger with blood. She then lifted it back up. Still moving slowly she moved the finger downwards and wrote something in the notebook.

With the blood. The blood of the girl she just killed. Erwine was simply horrified. _What is this?_ _Some ritual? Is she a heretic?_ Adrianne flipped the notebook closed. She closed her hand and it dissipated as she did so.

Finally, the girl stared up at the sky and smiled; her face slowly spreading into a victorious grin.

* * *

><p>Lord Inquisitor Naglera was spreading rumors that the Imperium was losing the war, and blaming most of that loss on what is apparently the part of the Imperium least susceptible to change, the Inquisition .We of course know this to be a lie, and that Naglera was a heretical agent, but it is clear that she has influenced multiple people with her thinking.<p>

Copies of her paper, although it is very long, have been hard to track down, meaning that if they do exist, and we are fairly certain that they do exist, they have already been disseminated. We are attempting to hunt them down, but unfortunately, we have been unable to locate who is spreading them. Technically, we could bring in Naglera's associates on accounts of conspiracy and association, but we can't make this clean-up too widespread, or the higher-ups will notice, and we could be in serious trouble. What's worse is that even if we do find the holders of the copies, then we can't do anything to them, because as inquisitors they can cite multiple rules regarding the legal possession of such a text by an inquisitor.

Therefore, we have decided to put Naglera on trial. If we kill her, then we're in trouble, because that will attract attention, and the case will be shown to be false. So we're going to simply demote her, take away her lord status. She'll still have power, but if we can keep her in check, people will forget, and she should disappear within the next fifty years or so.

A very unfortunate accident, I am certain, will be the cause.

-Excerpt from Interrogator's Kleimar's report as assistant to the secondary secretary of the Segmentum Pacificus Purity Assurance Committee.

* * *

><p>So that's it for this chapter. Next one will be up next week. Things will continue to happen, but will slow down again for a bit, and only by a little much. Things keep happening, at least.<p> 


	7. Midnight of Conversation

**So I know that I didn't update last week, and I have to apologize for that. I have decided to switch update times to once every other week for the time being, as I feel that I will able to improve the quality if the time I have to edit and rewrite is increased. I'm certainly not losing motivation, but I also want to work on other projects of mine that I feel deserve more attention than I have been giving to them.**

**Not to shamelessly self-advertise, but if anyone is interested in Touhou I am planning to start posting what is shaping up to be a rather large Touhou story. It is sort of a sci-fi thing inspired by thinking about the Lunarians too much, so it's got that going for it, which is nice. **

**I will be sticking to this new update schedule, however. So don't worry about me missing another update date like last week. **

* * *

><p>There is a careful boundary that must be walked by any inquisitor training a new magical girl. The boundary between too much coddling, and too much brutal exposure to reality. If one exposes a new girl too much, then she shall become broken and useless, having experienced too much suffering. If she is coddled, then she shall become foolish and reckless, having experienced too much pleasure.<p>

It is true that this sounds like the rhetoric of a false prophet, but one must be sure to walk a careful path to ensure all things are taken in moderation. Anything in too great of a quantity can be harmful, no matter how pleasurable or painful it is.

-Excerpt from Inquisitor Niamh Seilenn's _The Next Generation and How They Must Be Raised. _

* * *

><p>Laelia and Celestine wandered about the lower hive for hours. They made sure to avoid all signs of wraiths and other people. Not that there were many. It was past midnight and the local patrols had done their jobs well.<p>

Their footsteps echoed in unison; both having memorized the others walking speed long ago. By the time they caught up to the present, they had already been walking for some time.

"Aren't you wanted back soon?" Laelia asked; interrupting Celestine's story about the latest year of her life. Celestine cocked her head to the side. After a brief moment her response came.

"No, Estelle figured that I'll be out for a while," Celestine explained, a hint of naughtiness in her voice that Laelia found strange. _It's not like you're cheating on her with me, _the girl thought, _the two aren't even that close, unless that's a cover and-_Laelia cut her train of thought off before it went too far.

"Are you sure?" Laelia asked; her memories going to the last time her and Celestine were found talking.

"No, not at all, we can only hope." Celestine said, but her voice showed that she did not exactly care if we were found.

Laelia threw her a murderous glare, "Seriously? The last time this happened, Adrianne and Estelle nearly killed each other!"

"I know, I still vividly remember that particular incident," Celestine spoke of it fondly, which once again brought a strange look from Laelia who could not understand how anyone sensible could enjoy an event which almost resulted in the censuring of everyone involved.

"You and me both." Laelia said. She tried to clear her thoughts of that time. It had been a few years back when she and Celestine ran into each other. They had been sent to the exact same place. They ended up getting into a long conversation that led to both Adrianne and Estelle showing up with the Arbites on their tails.

The disturbance was not appreciated.

"So," Celestine began "How have you been doing?" The last few hours had been accounts of the five or so years that had passed since their last meeting.

"Oh, the last few years have been pretty good; Adrianne just recruited a new girl yesterday." Her voice dropped down into a more somber tone.

"Really?" Celestine said, honestly surprised, "That's the most she's ever had."

"Indeed, she's moving her a lot faster too." Laelia added.

"Has she brought her along on an interrogation yet?" Celestine asked.

"As we speak." Laelia said; her voice filled with regret.

"Oh my…" Celestine's voice trailed off. "That soon? She was recruited just yesterday?"

"Unfortunately yes,"

"I feel bad for her."

"As do I." Laelia agreed.

"How do you think she'll react?" Celestine questioned. It was somewhat pointless; unless a girl had been deeply hurt by the Archenemy, then she would never like seeing a traitor get tortured.

"Not well, she had trouble with her first battle." Laelia knew it was common for that to happen. But to almost die from the grief? That was uncommon.

"How much trouble?" Celestine asked.

"She killed six," Laelia began. At those words Celestine grimaced. "And she almost died afterwards, in fact, if Adrianne hadn't shown up, I think she would've died."

Celestine released a sigh of frustration. "Well then," was all she said.

"I know," Laelia stated, "Unfortunately, I highly doubt she'll survive what is coming next for her."

"I hope that you're wrong." Celestine responded. Laelia didn't need to say she hoped the same.

"I wonder how some people can like that," Laelia stated, steering the conversation away from Erwine.

Celestine caught her meaning. "I know, maybe some people

"Does anyone have fun?" Laelia asked; somewhat rhetorically. The two girls were momentarily silent until Celestine spoke. But Laelia knew what she would say before she said it.

"I think Adrianne has fun doing it." Celestine commented. It was in a softer voice than usual, wishing to avoid Laelia's wrath.

And Laelia knew she should defend her master against such an insult, but she could not deny the truth. "I know," she whispered softly. _I was right. _Laelia thought. _I'm not surprised._

"Does it ever get hard serving under her?" Celestine asked; a hint of concern in her voice.

"Sometimes, she can be too obsessed with vengeance at times. Other times, you have to be careful of what you say around her, or she'll break into tears." Laelia admitted. _How many times has she nearly gotten us all killed by being too reckless? How many times has she shut herself down in response to something someone says?_ Laelia asked, to no one but herself. She thought of the earlier occurrence with Erwine.

She hoped that girl would make it.

"I'm sorry," Celestine said. Her right hand reached out and grabbed onto Laelia's. The girl turned her head to face Celestine, her eyebrows raised in a silent question. Celestine responded with a light smile. Laelia blushed and turned her head forwards again, but let Celestine's hand remain where it was.

The two girls were silent for a few more moments, until Celestine proposed "You know, you could always join me." She hoped it wouldn't sound too mean.

"No," Laelia curtly refused, but Celestine detected a hint of sadness in the other girl's voice.

"But why?" Celestine faked not knowing.

"Because then I'd have to deal with a bunch of damn puritans all the time," Laelia mocked.

"Oh, I'm hurt," Celestine complained before adding "We're right, you know."

"But of course you are," Laelia sarcastically admitted. She was being humorous, but Celestine could still pick out hints of regret.

She stayed silent. But Laelia did not continue the conversation. So she decided to tackle the problem directly. "Do you regret something?" she asked the girl whose hand she held.

"I may regret joining Adrianne," Laelia admitted quietly, as if the inquisitor was right around the corner, listening for any sign of betrayal.

"I don't see any problem with feeling like that," Laelia said, noticing the whispery voice Laelia was using.

"There is a problem. I can't just leave her, not with Ayelen with me," Laelia said, "I can't leave that girl behind,"

"I don't think Estelle would have an issue with Ayelen, as long as she doesn't cause any problems," Celestine said.

Laelia said nothing, instead choosing to turn around. She broke away from Celestine, tearing her hand away from the other girl's. Celestine said nothing as she the girl walked away from her. Laelia paused, calling back, "I should go. We're wasting each other's time like this, and our respective superiors may notice we are gone,"

"Those are the words of someone who's scared," Laelia said, before walking towards Laelia, "Afraid of Adrianne, I imagine?"

"Afraid of her failing," Laelia corrected her friend, "I don't want Adrianne to fail at what she's been trying to accomplish after so long,"

"You actually support her?" Celestine was very surprised by this revelation.

"Yes, I do," Laelia said, she turned to look at Celestine, "She has worked far too long to fail now. I don't know what Estelle wants out of all of this, but at this point, all she has done is oppose Adrianne, and I cannot help anyone who does that."

Celestine was silent, "I see," she whispered. Then she turned around, "I should go,"

"You replicate my behavior now?" Laelia asked, "Afraid of arguing with me?"

"I don't want us to lose our friendship because we work towards different goals," Celestine explained.

"What does Estelle want?" Laelia asked.

There was a long pause, with Celestine considering what she should say. Nothing seemed like it would be the correct answer at this point. "She never really says," the girl replied, "We just keep chasing after Adrianne, but the few times she has mentioned anything, she says that she wants to help Adrianne,"

"And she calls Adrianne crazy," Laelia said, her voice harsh, possible a bit too harsh.

Celestine winced at the sound of Laelia's voice, "I'm sorry," she said, "I'm only telling you what I have heard,"

"I don't criticize you," Laelia said, "Don't worry,"

"Then can we talk about something else, or should we part ways?" Celestine asked. Her voice told Laelia that she was not going to take anymore insults from the girl.

"What do you want from me?" Laelia asked, "Just sit down and admit you're right, and you have been all along? Is that what you want?" She walked closer to Laelia her voice growing harsher and harsher with each step.

"I see that I should go," Celestine said, before Laelia clamped down on her shoulder with her hand.

"Are you sure?" Laelia said, she leaned close to Celestine, and whispered in her ear, "Or should you talk more about how correct Estelle is compared to Adrianne?"

Laelia jumped back as long metal blade cut through the air where she had just been. Celestine's body was turned around, her head was tilted downwards, the brim of her hat covering her eyes. Her slightly bent right arm was crossed over her left, and an ornate rapier was clutched in her right hand.

"Are we going to keep playing this game?" she asked solemnly, "Because I'm tired of it." Her body did not shake at all as she held her sword towards Laelia.

"Are we really going to fight?" Laelia asked. Her confidence in the situation had decreased, and the sudden increase in feel she felt was shown by her voice.

"Yes," Celestine said, and Laelia jumped back once again as Celestine jumped forwards and fully extended her right arm with a lunging jab. The magic force of the attack created a brief gust of wind in all directions.

Laelia's hands were clutching machine guns, and her blue shield was around her body. Celestine was no longer anywhere around her, or at least that was what she saw. Laelia looked around, calming her breathing, and subduing her rampant mind. _She's not going to kill me, she's not going to kill me. _She had to repeat these words over and over again in order to remain calm and prevent herself form descending truly into the stage she only reached when actually engaged with an opponent as threatening as Celestine, who was capable of turning invisible, which had the added effect of eliminating all other traces of her, save for mental and magical ones.

Laelia heard the sound of shoes behind her. A strange noise, but her mind, worried by the idea of fighting her friend, was scared enough to react to it. Laelia spun around to face the noise, but found only a pair of Celestine's shoes sitting on the ground.

There was the sound of a balloon popping from behind Laelia as something burst her shield from behind. She spun and raised her gun at the same time she found a rapier barely tapping her chest. The muzzle of her gun was right in front of Celestine's face. It would be trivial for either one to move a tiny bit and end the battle.

"Always a scared one," Celestine said, Laelia noticing that her shoes were off her feet.

"Always a clever one," Laelia choked out, struggling to maintain a cool demeanor in the current situation.

It was obvious that neither girl truly had the guts to do anything serious to the other. So it now became a question of who would put their weapon down first. Celestine lowered her rapier after only a minute, a part of her mind urging her on more than Laelia's mind urged herself.

Laelia held her gun up for another couple seconds, before it too was lowered and dissipated as the rapier had been. "Sorry," she muttered, looking away from Celestine as the purple-haired girl smiled.

"Don't worry, I started it," Celestine said, before turning around, "Let's not talk about any of this,"

"I didn't say you could go," Laelia said, her voice suddenly assertive, but also a bit cautious.

"You have power over me now?" Celestine asked, "Who died and made you the Goddess?"

"You seem to be taking my words seriously, tonight," Laelia explained, "I guess that would be why I felt like trying to tell you something." She was doing her best to sound strong, but her voice still showed some fear.

Celestine spun around. A smile was plastered on her face. "You say you regret things, yet you still manage to act like this," she stepped close to Laelia, her hand reaching out to the girl's chin, "What are you really?" She leaned in close to Laelia.

Laelia stepped back, but Celestine grabbed her chin. She didn't try to resist. "What do you really want?" she asked, "Do you want to be away from Adrianne, or do you just want to toy with me?"

Laelia's eyebrows furrowed, "Are you making fun of me?"

"In a way I am," Celestine said, her voice becoming lower and softer by the second, "But, I'm also questioning your motives." She leaned in close to Laelia's ear, so close that Laelia tried to flinch back before she was stopped by Celestine, who asked, "Are you playing games with me?"

Laelia shrugged, doing her best to remain calm in the uncomfortable state she was in. Celestine had one hand on her chin, and the other arm was slowly beginning to wrap around her waist. Her head was close enough so that Laelia could feel her breath, and she was about ready to start the whole fight over again just to get Laelia off of her.

"What do you want?" Laelia asked, "Because right now, I don't think you're looking for a friendly conversation,"

Celestine paused entirely. Even her movements stopped. Laelia had the perfect opportunity to get out of Celestine's grip. She did not take it. She stayed where she was, staring Celestine in the eyes.

"I am wondering if you actually give a damn about me," Laelia said, "Or if you're just putting on this whole show to get close to me and learn all of Adrianne's secrets,"

Celestine gasped in a very exaggerated manner. So exaggerated that Laelia had to suppress an outburst of laughter at the display. "Why would I ever agree to such a thing?!" Celestine cried, her hand going to her mouth to continue the acting.

"Because you don't like me or Adrianne that much," Laelia answered plainly, "Now are you going to keep acting for the rest of our conversation?"

"Of course now," Celestine said, her demeanor suddenly serious again, "However, it is getting…late, I should be going now,"

"Seriously?" Laelia asked, "You think I am going to fall for that?"

"What?" Celestine asked.

"Trying to leave so that I call you back once again just so you can show that I really do like you," Laelia's voice was nearly monotone as she said this, "It is a low blow, and a terribly thought out one at that,"

"Then what would you prefer I do?" Celestine asked, then narrowed her eyebrows, and said, "Weren't you supposed to be regretful and sad about joining Adrianne, or were you really playing a game?"

"I don't know," Laelia said, before grinning a little, "Maybe you should figure that out for yourself,"

Celestine leapt forwards, wrapping her arms around Laelia's waist and pulling her close. It looked like a hug, and should have only been that. Instead, the two girl's lips met. Laelia embraced Celestine back, and the two stayed like that for a minute.

They eventually broke the kiss, before Celestine licked her lips, whispering, "I see, it was just a game,"

"Don't act like you didn't play any games either," Laelia said.

The two girls stared at each other's eyes for a minute, before they let go of the other. "We should really be heading our separate ways now," Celestine said.

"I'll see you later," Laelia said, "Hopefully soon,"

"Hopefully soon," Celestine agreed, before the two girls turned around, and walked away from each other.

A game had just been played. A great game between two people who liked playing games. Both had benefitted from this game, and these benefits would have to be reported.

In Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition, even love was just a means to an end.

* * *

><p>The sun had set long ago over the planet of Siothea, or at least this one side of the planet, for it was daylight on the other half. And this night had brought sadness to many people in the city, whether they be important people, whose actions and choices would change the world, or simple nobodies, people who did not matter in the grand scheme of things.<p>

Those nobodies do not matter, as many such nobodies are saddened every day. But none are ever saddled by the problems faced by Erwine this night. She had spent the time walking back in shock, pure and total shock. Tears did not fall out of her eyes, nor did she scream and moan.

She walked slowly behind Adrianne, sometimes jumping when Adrianne jumped, and picking up her pace to a run or jog when Adrianne did, but otherwise, she was like a lifeless puppet being dragged along by invisible strings.

When the two girls finally returned, Adrianne popped the door of the shuttle open. She had been involved in a little conversation with Airi during the journey, and already expected the girl's reaction.

Airi stood up, her eyes glaring harshly at Adrianne. The inquisitor brushed past her, opening the door to the cockpit, and gesturing for Airi to enter. She half-shoved Airi in when she hesitated, not even waiting for Erwine to walk back into the shuttle.

Instead, the responsibility for that broken girl was given to Ayelen, who did not want it, but took it anyways, knowing that to leave her be would only make things worse than they already were for her. Ayelen stood up as Erwine stumbled her way up the ramp, catching her as she fell down into one of the seats, and reaching out with her hand to shut the door.

She leaned Erwine back in a seat, before she took the seat next to the shocked girl. Erwine was mumbling incoherently to herself now. She was completely incomprehensible, but it was easy to see that she wished that she was anywhere besides here.

Ayelen put a hand on Erwine's cheek, looking into her fluttering eyes. She was tired, but still awake for the moment, and Ayelen did not want to let her sleep. Not now. "Erwine?" she said softly, making sure to sound as friendly as possible, "Are you there?"

A single name could then be made out amidst the rambling, "Ayelen…?"

"Yes, I'm here, Erwine," Ayelen replied, "Please talk to me,"

Erwine shook her head, eyes suddenly shooting open as she started to shake. It was out of fear, and Ayelen did her best to stabilize the girl as she asked, "What's wrong, what happened?" Ayelen knew the gist of what Erwine had been taken to do, but details would assist her.

"She killed the girl…" Erwine mumbled, "After she…she made me…" Erwine was having trouble communicating anything, but Ayelen had to at least compliment her on her ability to speak at all. She could distinctly remember Laelia trying for hours to get her to talk after what had happened to her, only for her to sit there and cry.

Erwine had guts, that much was clear. "She made me torture her!" Erwine screamed, "Say things she didn't want to say! She made me hurt her!" Erwine started to curl into a little ball on the chair she was in, breaking away from Ayelen's arms as she started to cry.

"It's alright, Erwine," Ayelen said, putting a hand on Erwine's shoulder as she tried to squirm away from Ayelen.

"No, it is not," Erwine said back, her voice gaining an unusual coherence and clarity even as she cried and screamed, "Something is seriously wrong with Adrianne,"

This gave Ayelen pause. Something caught her tongue, maybe her unwillingness to defend one who had done similar things to her in the past, maybe her pity for Adrianne that contradicted that unwillingness. "You don't understand," she said, "Please, you can't understand, not until she tells you herself,"

"Tell me now!" Erwine shouted, taking her hands away from her face, and glaring back at Ayelen, "Just tell me so I understood,"

Ayelen shook her head, "You would not believe me even if I told you in the most sincere and trustworthy manner possible,"

"Why?!" was the response that was angrily shouted.

"It contains details that are…quite far-fetched, even in this world of magic and miracles," Ayelen said quietly, her voice almost being drowned out by the occasional sob that still came from Erwine.

"I feel that's a lie," Erwine said, her anger rising once more as she sat up straight, she held her finger out towards Ayelen, "You're just trying to protect her so she can use me! She doesn't really care about me! I'm just like a tool to her! Stop lying to me!"

Erwine tried to stand up, to push her way past Ayelen and towards the cockpit door, but Ayelen pushed her back down. Her strength easily overpowered the strength held by the weakened Erwine. "No," she said, "You are going to sit down and listen to me!" Ayelen was angry now as well.

This was a combination that would not be good.

"Adrianne…Adrianne has not had what could be considered a good time in the Inquisition. She got off to a terrible start because of circumstances out of her control, and because of that, she is…different than the others," Ayelen was standing now, staring down Erwine, who was itching for the chance to get past Ayelen and to Adrianne.

"Different?!" the word was spat with a healthy dose of hatred thrown in, "She killed somebody in front of me, I contracted…I contracted…" Erwine started to break down as she started to realize just how little time had passed since she had contracted. Her mouth froze, and her eyes widened, and she leaned back in her seat entirely.

Ayelen saw a solitary tear drip form one eye, the herald of a great flood. Erwine started to crack, tears flowing from her eyes within seconds as she replayed the last few hours, only to find that she had only contracted…maybe _twelve hours _before now.

Twelve hours. To Erwine, the mere thought of such a time passing in between her contracting and her killing people was…horrific, to say the least. She cried, her sobs raising in volume.

Through her sobs and shaking body, she lamented, "I was going to be a hero…that was what Adrianne told me…and here I am, not even a day later, and I'm a monster." She was barely able to even formulate words, but Ayelen still had to be proud of the fact that she could speak.

That older, but just as scarred, girl stood silently in front of Erwine, knowing that she too had been told the same pointless rhetoric by Adrianne. Other inquisitors were blunter in their recruitment, almost warning the girl of dangers, still only hinting at the truth, of course, but letting the girl know that they might want to reconsider.

Adrianne…Adrianne was good at getting under one's skin, at coming in at the perfect moment to exploit the weakness of the girl. She was a master at it, and Ayelen could both hate and respect her for this mastery.

"What's happening to my life…?" Erwine's voice trailed off, only to suddenly pick up again, "It's all falling apart. I wished for power, yet here I am, powerless….it's just all falling apart…"

She cried even harder, bringing Ayelen closer and closer to tears as she realized that she could do nothing for Erwine. She could not defend Adrianne. Both her own issues with the inquisitor as well as the fact that Erwine would not trust her if she did try stopped her from even beginning to try.

Ayelen wanted to look away from the sobbing girl, but found that she could not take her eyes off of Erwine. She tried to open her mouth, thinking that some words would come out and help the crying girl, but none came.

So she sat down next to Erwine. Softly, she moved the girl to lie down in her lap. Erwine still clutched her face with her hands, but she was willing to let this happen. She lay softly on Ayelen, still crying, but her weakness was already leading to her slipping away towards sleep.

"Adrianne…Adrianne will see the truth at some point," Ayelen said, almost promising it, but more saying it to simply comfort Erwine in the moment, "Don't worry, it will all be fine in the end." Her words were hollow, but she hoped that at least the gesture may help.

Erwine knew that arguing with her was pointless, as she had seen that Ayelen felt feelings that were similar to her own. So she just lay where she was, eventually losing the strength and energy to even shed any more tears.

Sleep took her soon, leading her far away to dreams that she did not want to see.

* * *

><p>Adrianne was sitting in the right side chair of the cockpit. She leaned back in the chair, her eyes staring out the window. Her face showed her total lack of care towards Airi.<p>

Airi, on the other hand, was in the opposite chair, and was looking quite distressed. Her arms crossed, she sat uncomfortably in the seat, obviously thinking, but silently. Words wanted to come out of her mouth, but it was clear that she knew not how to properly convey them.

The sound of crying could be dimly heard through the wall, and while Airi was disturbed every time it spiked in volume, Adrianne seemed to be completely unfazed by the entire thing.

"Do you even care about her?" Airi finally asked.

"Yes," Adrianne said, "Is that not obvious?"

"I don't mean care about her as a tool to be used by you, I mean as a human being," Airi clarified, her voice venomous as she did so.

"I don't care about her as a human being," Adrianne said. Her eyes fell upon Airi as her head slowly turned, "I don't see how I can,"

"Just because she's a magical girl does not mean that you can just use her like this!" Airi's anger was rising. Slowly, yet surely.

"She…understood the risks," Adrianne replied, but there was a certain kind of uncertainty to her voice, the kind that told Airi that the inquisitor was wavering in her convictions.

"She did not think this was going to occur, especially not before even a full day had passed," Airi said, calming herself, knowing that she could not become any angrier if Adrianne was coming to the realization on her own.

"I have no choice," Adrianne said, "This must be done." As if to express her discontent and lack of interest in this conversation, she looked forwards again, her eyes flickering a little as she told herself that she was correct.

"For the good of who?" the question pierced the veil of aloofness that the inquisitor had hastily erected around herself.

"For the good of…all of us, you know that this threat does not just apply to me," Adrianne replied. This time, her voice was solid and certain. She wavered no longer, at least not in a visible manner.

"You know that is a lie," Airi replied, "You only want to do this for yourself, because of the vengeance that you have decided to personally obtain,"

"Personally obtain…" Adrianne considered the words, then tossed them aside, only to criticize Airi for her poor wording, "You know that I do not intend to see the end of all of this, at least not from the eyes of this body, looking out from this world,"

"And that is why you see fit to break her?" Airi was angry. Was it because she was concerned for Erwine? Or was she angry at Adrianne for her unwillingness to live? "Because you don't want to give her any kind of life? You just want to use her for your own gain, and then throw her to the wolves, to be devoured, to be torn apart by the daemons you created in her own mind?!"

Adrianne scoffed. She shook her head. She was done with the conversation. She conveyed that to Airi quite effectively. But the girl refused to back down, continuing to speak, "Don't just hide behind your silence! I thought I knew you once, Adrianne! Don't hide yourself away because you are too embarrassed to…to face the girl who made you into what you are today!" Airi had hesitated briefly, but then regained all her strength, knowing that she was the only one who may be able to change Adrianne's mind about this matter.

"Don't pretend that you…that you have changed anything," Adrianne's voice was suddenly weak, as if she was telling lies to a person who would never be confused by the poor quality of said lies.

"Stop lying!" Airi shouted, "Stop lying to me and stop lying to yourself!" She was angry with Adrianne now. It was as if Erwine had been forgotten by both, Airi caring more for the person who she was close to rather than the broken girl crying outside the room.

"You think that I lie?" Adrianne said. She moved her head once again. Now, she looked in the opposite direction of Airi, her eyes looking out the left part of the window. "All I can say is that I am telling the truth…"

"Please just listen to me!" Airi's voice was still raging, and not a part of her truly wanted to calm down now, "You know that if you do listen to me, then I will only convince you of what I am saying!"

"I doubt that," Adrianne said, idly wondering if Airi could see the reflection of her face in the mirror. "Did you think that you were anything more than a tool to me?"

Airi's voice was now taken over by a new emotion. No longer was it controlled by a blind desire to see Adrianne admit that Airi was correct. Now, shock took over the muscles of her face, fiercely grabbing the reins from anger.

"You cannot…surely, you cannot be serious?" Airi asked. The initial shock was now morphing into confusion. She could not understand how such a thing was possible. "Did you ever care about me?"

"There is no proper comparison to make here," Adrianne said, as if Airi had not spoken at all, "As a farmer does care about his plow. A hammer does care about his hammer. A soldier does care about his weapon. All of them usually care on some personal level."

Adrianne then looked back at Airi. There was the light of triumph hidden behind the cold glare of her eyes, as she said, "But I only care if you can do your job, and make sure that the others do their jobs. Fortunately, you decided that you can help me personally, and you think you have, so I have not had to intervene at all to ensure that you mentally develop in the proper way."

"Airi…you've never been anything more than a tool for me to use, and then weep a little over when it breaks, because I can no longer use it," Adrianne explained, "So if you have anything to say to that, feel free to say it, because I have nothing more to say to a tool,"

Airi looked away from Adrianne. Even when she was confused, there was life in her face. Now there was none. She simply averted her eyes from the woman, choosing to not even look at the tiniest bit of Adrianne's body. A single tear ran down her cheek.

_Is that what I really am? _She wondered to herself. She had been with Adrianne for twenty years. Twenty years was a long time to be in the service of anyone, especially a person such as Adrianne. Yet Airi had come to absolutely trust the inquisitor, and listen to all that she said. _I thought I had helped her…_

When Adrianne had first recruited Airi, the inquisitor had been an emotional wreck. She had gone through one of the most harrowing events Airi had heard of, and the aftermath of the situation had only made things worse for her.

In short, Adrianne had lost everything, and was now out for vengeance. Her friends had died, a colleague had turned against her, and now she was desperately searching for a way to get back at the person who had taken all from her.

Even as Airi thought about it now, the whole thing seemed like a horrifically clichéd plot of a terrible novel, most likely some form of official propaganda. Yet it was the truth. And as Airi thought about Adrianne, and what she had just said, another truth came to her.

_She lost everything, so she will stop at nothing to get vengeance…even if that means destroying the people around her. _Airi shook her head, _but no, I helped her. I know I did. I helped her work through all the sorrow she felt when she first came to me. She is lying, because she knows…she thinks…that if I convince her to treat Erwine differently, then she will never get what she wants. _

This realization did not hit Airi hard. Rather, it was more like a splash of cold water that she was very well aware of before it hit her. She glanced back over at Adrianne, who was still silent, looking to her left. Airi caught a glimpse of the window that Adrianne was looking at. The inquisitor did not look like the happiest person.

"Adrianne…" Airi said, her voice faint and uncertain. She wondered if the inquisitor would even hear her, due to the softness with which she spoke at first.

"What is it?" _She said that she had nothing more to say. Yet she answered me? She wants me to do this. It is no test of my conviction. Rather, it is here knowing that she cannot convince herself to change. _

"I…I care a lot about you," Airi said, "And while you…you may not share those same feelings in regards to me…I hope that you understand that I have always cared for you…even in the beginning,"

"And if you truly do decide to act in this way then I cannot stop you. I will continue to care, and I will continue to do my best as your servant," Airi felt that she could end the whole thing better, but she could not find the words.

Adrianne slammed her fist down on the arm of the chair, whipping her head to face Airi. Her eyes were wild with anger. No, not anger. Fear of change.

"I will do what I need to do!" Adrianne declared, her voice expressing the same wild fear she showed in her eyes and body, "I will break Erwine a thousand times over if necessary!"

Airi knew that she had to stay strong now. She could not back down from this. Not at this point. "Adrianne," she began, pausing for a second and gathering the conviction in her voice to speak what she had to speak before continuing, "I have been with you for so long. I have seen many, many things with you. We have been through so much, but we are still far from the end!"

Adrianne opened her mouth, a retort on her lips, but she was silenced as Airi continued. The dark-haired girl's voice was not as loud as it was before, but it was now stronger, more solid. "If you want to continue doing the things you have been doing, then I cannot physically stop you!"

But she was cut off by Adrianne, whose volume beat out Airi's conviction. "That's right, you cannot! I am older than you! I am stronger than you! If you would like to try me, then I will crush you, and I will have all the evidence I will need to say that you attempted to kill me!"

"True!" Airi said, "You can say that, but how do you think that will hold up under investigation when Estelle comes in to accuse of everything she has evidence against you for?!" Airi took a short breath, before continuing on, "And what's more is that I don't have to fight you. I can just leave. I can head over to Estelle, and I have more than enough evidence that when combined with her evidence, we will get you excommunicated!"

"Excommunicated!" Airi repeated, "Do you want that to occur?! Do you think you will ever be able to obtain vengeance when Estelle has full rights to hunt you down and kill you without a second thought?!"

"I hate to blackmail you," Airi continued, "But the fact is that I am going to blackmail you if you do not agree to talk to me!" She was breathing hard now, having lost a lot of her breath from her rant, but she had Adrianne's attention fully.

The inquisitor said nothing for a minute, while Airi's breathing returned to normal. Then, she said, "You are willing to threaten to get me killed because of what I am doing to Erwine? You?" The voice of the girl was now pitiful. It was no longer filled with hate. It was slow, and soft.

"Yes," Airi confirmed, saying nothing more.

"Then maybe…maybe you are correct," Adrianne wondered why her change of heart was so sudden. Then, she recalled just why she had wished that Airi not see her reflection. Tears had run down her cheeks at that point. There was barely time to wipe them away before she had turned back to face the girl once more.

"I do care about Erwine," Adrianne confessed, "But I understand that if I do not do things properly, then all I have done so far will have been for naught,"

"And if you do not help her now, while she is weak and sad, then everything will still have been for naught," Airi said, "She needs you. You are the only one who can truly help her now."

Adrianne considered this, "We will wait…until morning. She should be asleep by now…and I would hate to wake her. I'll speak to her, speak to everyone."

Minutes passed before the sound of talking came from either Adrianne or Airi. "Am I making the right choice?"

The question's reply was not as filled with conviction as the speaker of it may have liked, but she tried, "I don't know. All I can say is that I would prefer we die happy, rather than succeed suffering."

Adrianne smiled a little. Inside her heart, pity for Erwine awoke, as Adrianne realized the parallels in their stories. _If I am idle…then she becomes me…I will not allow that. _

And for once, Adrianne felt that there was an achievable goal right in front of her eyes.

* * *

><p>It is my opinion that Adrianne is simply a fool. She searches to achieve a goal that does not truly help anyone but herself. The individual she has reported as being her target was last recorded as a loyal member of the Inquisition, and while it is possible for one to go rogue, we must consider the hisotry of the accuser.<p>

Is her wild story truly something that can be believed by even the most radical of inquisitors? I truly have no issue with them, our beliefs are different and there is little that can be done to chance that fact. But Adrianne is different. We cannot let her gain power, or run off on her own. For all we know, her request to relentlessly pursue this girl are merely cover for her own operations!

-Excerpt from Inquisitor Estelle Adramartis's Request to the Agalemis Sect Council.


	8. Morning of Truth(?) and Reconciliation

**Well, I'm back with this awfully short chapter. It is rather important to the overarching story, however. I would like to apologize for any low quality experienced in the last few chapters. Everything up to and including this chapter was originally written a while ago when I first developed the idea, but I later almost entirely rewrote all of it for this. Even then, I feel that my lack of quality back then really shows. **

**But starting with the next chapter, things will be hopefully better, as they are written and edited more recently. Next update will also be a much longer chapter, and I may even get it out earlier than planned because I won't need to overhaul it entirely as I have had to do with the previous chapters.**

* * *

><p>Magic can be categorized into two distinct, overarching groups, into which all types of magic fall. Both of these groups are equally influenced by the Hastvan Equality Theory and the Infinite Potential Theory. Both of these groups involves a manipulation of magic energy to produce an effect on a certain element of the universe, but it should be noted that the powers of a single girl can reach into both categories if she is particularly well-trained, of great age, or of great potential.<p>

Space Manipulators: The largest group by far consists of almost every single magical girl type commonly found in the Imperium of Man and the traitor forces. Their manipulation of magic energy results in the manipulation of the matter around them to produce some kind of result. It is easy to distinguish those who fall into this group, as the name of that type shall not have the word 'time' in front of the rest of the name.

Time Manipulators: A very small group, as only high potential girls who make the proper wish can have such a power. Most are utilized by the Inquisition, due to their highly-specialized uses and the need to control them. Their manipulation of magic energy results in the manipulation of the time-space continuum of the entire universe. The exact explanation behind this mass manipulation is unknown, but more details can be found in the next section, where the mathematical concepts behind magic are broken down.

Some rumors suggest that there is a third group that does not fit into either of the two groups above, but such rumors are based only in other rumors, not fact. It is suggested that those who perpetuate such misinformation cease their actions immediately.

Excerpt from _How Miracles Are Made_

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><p>Erwine's eyes opened. For a moment, she was scared, her stomach turning upside-down as the events she had just experienced came back to her. She was on a hard surface, at least her torso and legs were, while her head was on something softer. She had fallen asleep with her head on Laelia's lap.<p>

She looked up at a metal ceiling. She was inside a shuttle. There was no light. The shuttle had windows. If it was the morning, there had to be some kind of light.

Erwine realized where she was. She sat up, her hand going instinctively to a certain spot. The light flickered on, barely lighting the entire room fully. Erwine was at home. In her own room. The place that she had called home for years and years. Before it had all been torn away from her by a single person.

That accursed name flashed through Erwine's mind for a split second, but she could not focus on it. All Erwine could tell was that somebody, somebody she had first met in a dream, had done this all to her. That somebody was a person she never wanted to see again.

To this end, Erwine tried not to close her eyes too much, afraid the face of the girl would come back to her. Even knowing the gender of the individual gave Erwine a sense of unease.

She went through her normal morning routine, acting as if nothing had ever happened. Erwine figured that she had an unusually lucid dream. Nothing to be worried about. Nothing she would dare report to another person besides Nada.

She did not want to end up being dissected because there was a daemon inside her or something. She was just sitting down on the couch with her book when Nada exited her room.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she came out, attracting a stare from Erwine. "What's the matter?" she asked, breaking their usual routine of staying silent.

Nada froze. She looked embarrassed, but managed to reply, "I had a dream…a bad one…basically a nightmare."

"What happened in it?"

"You contracted," Nada explained, "Instead of staying here, you went off with some horrible person. You did not have a very pleasant time." Tears were coming to her eyes. Erwine realized that they must have had similar dreams.

She stood up, rushing over to embrace her long-time friend. "It's alright," Erwine said, "I'm here now, and I'm not going to go anywhere." Just then, Erwine had a flash of something in front of her eyes.

A girl, with blonde hair and red clothes, sitting by her. Erwine tried to crush the memory, as it incited a sick feeling in her stomach. The stench of blood came to Erwine's nostrils, but she tried to stay calm.

She split apart from Nada, letting the girl go eat. Erwine paused where she was for a second, before turning back to the couch and sitting once more. For some reason, what Nada said seemed wrong to her. All she could think of was that…the girl, the one Erwine hated, was not quite so bad.

_Why? She made me feel like this. I'm being effected outside of the dream! What's going on?! How can she be a good person in reality?! _Then Erwine realized that she was assuming that a figure she met in a dream was a reality.

She felt a strange sense of compassion for Adrianne, as if she did not know what to really feel about the girl. "Who was the person who took me away in the dream?" Erwine asked.

"It was…some inquisitor. The inquisition was a real thing in that dream…but she had blonde hair, red clothes." It seemed to pain Nada to even remember the girl.

"What was she like?" Erwine asked.

"She was…harsh, but she was very nice to you. I…" Nada was confused, "Why do I feel that she's something more than what she seems?"

Erwine was now confused as well, "More than what she seems?" _Does she have some motive? 'Dark past…'. _The two words came to Erwine's mind. _Someone said those. I…should I be judging Adrianne from only what I have seen? _

Then the truth came to Erwine. _This is a dream, is it not? _She wondered to herself. _Me talking to myself, my inner conscious influencing me? _

_Perhaps, _another voice said. This voice was unknown to Erwine. It was beautiful, obviously a girl. It was the voice of someone who could truly be described as an angel.

Then the world froze around Erwine. _Or maybe this is truly another reality. No matter what, I do need you to stay safe for the moment, so don't go running away from Adrianne._

"Who are you?!" Erwine cried to the voice speaking in her mind.

_I am a person who you will meet in the future, _the voice replied, _who is just talking to you to make sure you do the right thing. _

"The right thing?" Erwine repeated.

_Yes, the right thing. Adrianne needs you. The Imperium of Mankind needs you. You cannot give up now, no matter what happens. Trust me when I say that Adrianne is not as bad as she seems. _

"Who are you?!" Erwine repeated, "How do I know I can trust you?"

A figure appeared in front of Erwine. It was cloaked in a strange aura that hid the identity of the girl from Erwine. She reached out with her hand. In that hand was a soul gem. It was marked with the seal of the Inquisition. "Only we inquisitors possess that seal," the girl replied, "I think you can trust someone with such a marking,"

Erwine nodded, "I must stay with Adrianne?"

The figure nodded, "Please, for the sake of us all. Small things take a long time to have a large effect, but a large effect they will have." She disappeared with those words.

Erwine felt a strange sense of duty come over her, and as she felt this place, whatever it was, slip away from her, she knew that she could not falter now.

The light of the dawn was beautiful the next morning. The pollution of the factories; despite being hazardous to everything on the planet, refracted the light and split it into a rainbow of wondrous colors. The horizon was lit with the pink and orange of the light beams.

Most mornings were like this. They were considered a good escape from the drudgery and ugly surroundings. Many people turned their gazes towards the sun to see this spectacle. If they could, of course.

But many couldn't, or didn't. Not because they didn't want to, but because they were otherwise occupied. Or trapped in a windowless cell that was the average home.

However, Erwine Braune did not turn her eyes to the sun simply because she still slept soundly, even on the rough seats of the shuttle. Ayelen and Laelia also missed the spectacle, for similar reasons.

Ayelen would be the first to stir from her somewhat light slumber. She never slept heavily; even when she was dead tired. And her lack of extreme activities the night before ensured a limited sleep.

Erwine lay to the left of Ayelen; having curled up in a blanket after her and Ayelen's talk. She breathed peacefully; and it was amazing to Ayelen how calm she looked especially taking into account the previous night's events.

Laelia had fallen to sleep to the right of Ayelen and now rested on the girl's shoulder. She had returned after Erwine had gone to sleep, and had almost immediately passed out from exhaustion. But she did promise she would tell Ayelen about what happened in the morning.

But it was clear that Ayelen would have to wait; seeing as how Laelia was effectively passed out on her shoulder. Ayelen sighed; she didn't feel like waiting a few hours for the girl to wake. So she carefully stood upwards while gently lowering Laelia's head to the seat. After waiting a moment to ensure that the girl was asleep; Ayelen moved to the other side of the cabin.

She sifted through Laelia's pile of books; looking for something to read. When nothing particularly interested her, she found herself content to sit and stare out the window. She kneeled in front of one of the small windows; her arms resting on the backs on the seats next to her.

_I hope that Airi managed Adrianne alright. I didn't hear anything too bad, so hopefully everything was sorted out. _

Adrianne's condition in the past few years had gone up and down. When Ayelen had first joined, Adrianne had been in a bad place. Her reckless desire for vengeance nearly killed Ayelen several times. But after a year or so, that ended and was replaced by a calmer and collected version of the girl.

_That was my favorite version._ Ayelen had no particular liking for the girl; she simply liked it when she could assure her own safety. She'd lost all respect for the inquisitor long ago. _I don't even know when._

Ayelen thought about what time it was. _I should wake the others up; we need to get moving. They don't need to sleep, they're magical girls._

But she knew that Erwine needed her rest, if only for her mental health and that Adrianne and Airi still may be sorting things out.

But Laelia had no such hindrances. And Ayelen needed someone to talk to. So she spun around and tiptoed over to the sleeping girl. She gently reached down and began to tap Laelia's shoulder.

The girl continued to sleep. Her eyes fluttered briefly, but all that followed was her shaking her head. But Ayelen knew better, Laelia had trained herself in the art of evading Ayelen when she wanted to talk to someone. So Ayelen kneeled down and covered Laelia's mouth with her hand.

Next, she pinched the girl's arm. It was just a pinch, but Ayelen decided to magically amplify it. The result was Laelia's eyes shooting open and a small scream emerging from her throat, which was blocked by Ayelen's hand.

Ayelen fell backwards onto the floor; trying to stifle her laughter. Laelia sat up, crossed her arms and waited until Ayelen was done. Laelia leaned her head back against the chair, trying to get over her sleepiness. She decided to set her soul gem to work on it. It was a waste; she knew, but some exceptions could be made for a girl of her strength.

Ayelen continued to giggle on the floor. Laelia sighed. Ayelen was the most annoying thing in the universe. Laelia was convinced of that fact._ It's not even as bad as Celestine; she infuriated me, and made me hate her for a time. But Ayelen just likes to inconvenience me._

Eventually, the girl stopped laughing and sat up. She smiled at Laelia as if she was a mischievous child. "Good morning!" she whispered.

Laelia spread her lips in a fake grin. "Good morning," she replied sarcastically, "What is it that you want to tell me?"

Ayelen stood up. "I wanted to ask you a question!" she declared. She turned as soon as she finished and sat on the chair behind her.

Laelia knew what question that Ayelen would ask, but got no time to respond as the girl spoke again, "Where were you last night?" Ayelen asked, her face bearing a joyful smile.

Laelia expected that exact question, so she already had an exact answer. "I was walking around, thinking to myself, "She explained. _It doesn't have to be the truth._

But Ayelen saw through the lie, despite the fact it was solidly delivered. "That's not true!" Ayelen declared, still stifling her shouting to avoid waking Erwine.

Laelia brought her hand to her face and rested her head in her palm. _It's pointless fighting the girl_. Ayelen knew that Laelia had told a lie, and Laelia knew that she knew. Therefore, further denial around would accomplish less than nothing.

"You were talking to that one girl again? Weren't you?" Ayelen continued.

Laelia let out a long sigh and released her hand from her face; looking up at Ayelen. "Yes, I was talking with Celestine," she admitted.

"I knew it!" Ayelen cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "You like that girl, don't you?"

Laelia blushed fiercely; the taste of Celestine's mouth was still on her lips. "No I don't!" she replied.

"I don't think Adrianne would like that," Ayelen scolded, as if Laelia had answered 'yes'.

"Well, then it's good that I don't like her then." Laelia said. Her defenses against this girl would only last so long. Then Ayelen would know. She wouldn't tell Adrianne, but Laelia would never hear the end of it.

Luckily for Adrianne, she was saved from the girl's taunting by the arrival of an issue that was actually a serious one. The door to the cockpit had opened, and Adrianne was slowly walking out. A solemn expression was on her face as she sat down.

Ayelen moved aside, scampering to a seat next to Laelia as the inquisitor moved to the seat beside Erwine. The other two girls who were seated in the room, Airi stood in the doorway leaning to one side, grimaced at the idea of the inquisitor sitting next to the person whose life she had just made substantially worse.

"I'd like to apologize for the things I did last night," Adrianne said, looking at Erwine. The girl still slept soundly as Adrianne lay a hand on her hair. "To everyone, not just Erwine. I was out of line on many occasions, and I cannot be excused for that."

Ayelen and Laelia took this news without responding during the time it was said. They simply listened, not moving at all. When Adrianne finished her words, they still did not move. Their eyes did move, flickering back and forth as they stole glances at the other out of the corners of their eyes. They seemed to have a silent conversation, which ended in Laelia speaking.

"Adrianne, you know that I have followed you for a long time simply because I believe in your goal, and I still believe in that goal. I joined you, swore to stick with you till the end because I knew that you were ultimately on this quest for just reasons. But while I can support the end, I cannot support your current means. Erwine…she's just a little girl, she doesn't deserve this, just like Ayelen doesn't deserve what you did to her," Laelia spoke neutrally, but it seemed like she almost slipped in the last phrase, as if there was another word she wanted to use instead of you. No one noticed or commented, however.

"I understand," Adrianne said, her voice solemn and lower than her normal tone. She was still looking down at Erwine, eyes longing for something. It was not clear what. "And I swear that I will change. If you understand the goal I want to achieve, then you can understand that I need to do whatever I can to achieve it, especially given the seriousness of the situation. "

Ayelen shook her head, "I don't think I can understand that," she said, "You know what I went through. What you put me through!" Laelia flinched at that sentence, as if she was remembering the exact events of all those years ago. "I can't allow you to do this to Erwine anymore!"

"And I will stop," Adrianne swore, "I guess I was just trying to come up with excuses as to why I did all this in the first place. Those same excuses apply to you as well, Ayelen, in case you needed some justification as well."

Ayelen glared daggers at Adrianne, "I don't need excuses for things that happened in the past. I want you to change your ways now. Know that there is nothing I can do to change what you do, but know that I will not be content."

Laelia let a small sigh escape from her lips before she spoke, "I hate to threaten you, but know that I will support Ayelen in her decisions." Her tone made it sound like she knew her reminder was not necessary, instead doing it as a gesture of some kind.

Adrianne nodded, "I understand," she replied, realizing that word was being used quite a lot, "What do you want me to do?"

"We've already said what we want you to do," Laelia explained, "So just do what we have asked, and I do not foresee any issues whatsoever. We respect you as a person, but we do not respect your methods. That is all. Simply change what we don't like, and we will continue to do what you ask of us."

"That sounds like an ultimatum, interesting for someone who hates to threaten me," Adrianne commented, but before Laelia could retort, Airi cut in.

"Can we not do this now?" she asked, "Not with Erwine right here," She gestured to the girl, who even now was stirring from her sleep.

Adrianne threw the glares she had received from Laelia and Ayelen right back at them, her eyes showing her annoyance at the both of them. Both backed down silently, as Adrianne turned her head to look at Erwine.

"Let met talk to her," she requested, "I can do this. I know none of you can fully trust me, but I do not intend to hurt the girl any longer."

"Do you really?" Ayelen asked. She got a glare from Airi, and Laelia put a hand on her shoulder to calm her anger.

"Do you want the straight answer to that question?" Adrianne asked, "Because you would not be pleased by it I think."

"So you will do this again?" Ayelen asked.

"I will take better care of her," Adrianne promised, "But that does not mean I will entirely stop everything. It has taken years and years for me to get to this point, and I will not throw everything away because you're angry at me. I know that Laelia will stay with me, and I don't need you with Erwine around."

Ayelen was shocked, her eyes questioning Laelia. Laelia looked Adrianne in the eyes, "I will follow Ayelen." Her voice was speaking the truth, but she did not like the truth.

Adrianne shrugged, "Then leave, both of you. Go off to wherever and bring me down. You're just bluffing, because I now both of you are actually dedicated to what you do."

Laelia and Ayelen had no reply to that. And as the room fell into silence, that silence was broken by the sound of Erwine, was just waking up from her sleep. Adrianne removed her hand from the girl's head, took a deep breath, and prepared to face both Erwine and herself.

Erwine, because she knew that girl would still be suffering. Herself, because she knew that she could not see herself as a truly good individual any longer. It would be hard for her to overcome both of those things and attempt to promise Erwine things that she would be able to give.

Erwine's eyes fluttered open. The room was absolutely silent as the girl moved a little. She looked around, first seeing Laelia and Ayelen on the opposite side of the room. Then she felt someone beside her. Erwine sat up slowly, and looked into the face of Adrianne.

She was shocked to the find the girl staring back at her with the same solemn expression that she had been wearing for some time now. Adrianne immediately opened her mouth, expecting Erwine to react in a more violent manner, "I'm sorry," she said. The desperation in her voice was true. She could not fake that.

To her surprise, Erwine simply nodded, "I…I understand," she said. _I have to do what that person said. I don't know who she is…but I feel that she's a person to trust at the moment. _Her voice showed a bit of uncertainty, but Adrianne did not hear that.

It was certainly picked up on by the other three girls in the room, but to Adrianne, who was simply searching for a kind of forgiveness after having realized what she had done, only the words that had been said mattered, not how they had been said.

"You do?" Adrianne asked, confused.

Erwine nodded, doing her best to smile at the inquisitor, "Yes, I…I do understand that you're sorry…" But she could not meet Adrianne's gaze, looking down at the floor to her left.

"What's wrong?" Adrianne asked. _Erwine is recoiling. She's scared of me. She thinks I'm going to hurt her. So she's going to do everything in her power to satisfy me. _

"Nothing!" Erwine quickly said. _I can't let Adrianne know what I dreamt of. I don't understand it myself, and…and I'm too scared to tell the girl. For all I know, that was just my own consciousness talking to me. _

"Erwine, you were screaming and crying last night," Adrianne said, "But now you're perfectly content. What changed?"

Erwine shook her head, "Nothing changed." She was glared at harshly by Adrianne, whose glare asked her the same question that she had just spoken, but in a way that more directly affected Erwine.

"I had a dream," Erwine said, her voice making it sound like she was confessing the truth, "I guess it just made me realize…realize that you aren't so bad. You…you do have a reason for doing all this to me, right?" Erwine realized that tears were coming to her eyes, and as she scrambled with her hands to stifle them, wanting to hide her sorrow, Adrianne stopped her.

"It's alright to cry," the inquisitor said, "I can't fault you for feeling sorrow now. I…I want to tell you the reason behind all of this…but telling people what has happened to me has gotten me into this entire mess in a way, so I need to be certain of your loyalty,"

Erwine protested, "I'm loyal right now!" she cried, "Tell me please! I need to know!"

"Erwine," Adrianne replied, "My story turned a dear friend of mine against me, and that has rendered me incapable of trusting people until I have made sure that they will follow me no matter what."

"I have not reached that point yet?" Erwine was offended.

"No. What happened last night will not help your view of me," Adrianne explained, "I know that you say you will listen and believe me, but you will not if I tell you now."

Erwine looked down, sad. "Alright," she said. She had hoped to find a reason as to why she needed to follow Adrianne, despite everything that had happened. "Don't worry," Adrianne said, "I…will tell you in due time, but…you still won't understand even then,"

"What do you mean?!" Erwine shouted. Tears were still flowing from her eyes, and Adrianne was doing little to help them go away.

Then she moved towards Erwine and embraced her tightly. She pushed the girl against her shoulder. Holding her tight, she whispered, "It's going to be alright," she said, "I know that you want to forgive me because you're so scared of me right now, but please don't hold back from hating me,"

Erwine realized that if she took away what she had been told in her dream, then she really did hate Adrianne for the things the girl had done to her. In fact, Erwine realized, she did not feel safe at all with the inquisitor if she did not trust what she had been told.

She suddenly wanted to break away from Adrianne, and that is what she did. She fell onto her back, eyes wide in shock. _What am I doing?! _She questioned herself. _This girl is a monster! How can I possibly associate myself with her?! _

Erwine tried to calm herself, but all she could do was break down into tears where she was, too frozen by fear. She wanted Adrianne to leave, but Erwine knew that she could not leave Adrianne. The girl in the dream, a different girl from the others, seemed better than Adrianne.

_Why can't I work for her? _Erwine thought to herself, thinking of the idea as both a humorous one and also screaming it internally, wondering why fate and forced her into this role.

"Erwine," Adrianne said, more despareltel than before, "Please trust me!"

She put all her compassion, all the truth she could muster, into a single sentence, "Erwine, trust me now, please, just this one thing, I know you trusted me before…and it's unfair to ask again…but please, not just for me, but for you, but for the dreams you want to achieve." Tears came from Adrianne's eyes. It had been a long time since she shed tears for someone that was not a person who was long dead.

Erwine's eyes opened, and although they were clouded with tears, she could see the desperation on Adrianne's face. She was begging for the girl to stay with her. Erwine had no reason besides the one her dream had given her.

Yet, she saw the begging girl, and realized that she had to have some compassion as well, or else she was no better than Adrianne. _She needs me, _Erwine thought, _for some reason that is obviously more important than anything else to her. If I refuse her now…then I shall be denying a magical girls her dreams. _

_And aren't we supposed to make dreams come true. _Erwine almost laughed at the way her thoughts played out. But she could not laugh at their effectiveness. Adrianne reached a hand out to Erwine.

She clearly did not expect that hand to be taken. When it was, the inquisitor's face lit up with a bright light that Erwine had not seen before. "You don't understand what you are doing," Adrianne said, "Or what this means to me,"

Erwine shook her head, "No," she replied, "I do not understand what I am doing, but I know that I must do this."

Adrianne nodded, "All I ask is that you stay with me until the reason for all this has been revealed. Only the passing of time will tell if I was right to do this, and there is a chance that I was not. But all I ask is that you stay until that can be proven or disproven."

Erwine replied, "I can do that." And as she embraced Adrianne, she felt a strange feeling. It was not exactly hope. It was not exactly despair. It was somewhere in the middle, as if Erwine had come to the conclusion that her life would be nothing like it once was and was content with this conclusion.

But as she looked past Adrianne at the wall of the shuttle, she realized how much faith she had to place in Adrianne.

She really did not know what she had just done, or the ramifications her actions had. But in the moment, both girls were happy, and the other three could not help but feel pleasure at the resolution of the conflict.

And in another place, there was another who felt similar pleasure at the resolution of the conflict.

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><p>The more specific types of magic which fall into the category of space manipulator are as follows. There are a large number, but all are listed, and an effort has even been made to ensure the inclusion of all recorded unique cases.<p>

Telepathy: The use of magic energy to affect the minds of one's self and those around one. Capable of reading and controlling minds, as well as directly attacking minds with strikes designed to induce images in the mind which lead directly to fear and despair, as well as strikes intended to directly destroy the mind's ability to function…

…Teleportation: the use of magic energy to move one's self and those around one to another location in space effectively instantaneously. The distance that can be teleported and the amount of matter that can be teleported both depend on one's skill, potential, and age…

…Shield Generation: The use of magic energy to project a shield which prevents certain types of matter from entering. The matter prevented from entering is decided by the generator of the shield, and can be changed instantaneously. The power, duration, and area of the shield all depend on one's skill, potential, and age…


	9. An Oath is Sworn, and a Plan Begun

**Well, here's the next chapter. I guess this one's short too, so I guess I should get my facts straight before promising things. I've got plenty of this story already written, and the overall plot is already planned out, so I should know what the next chapter's going to look like. **

**I have to say, I'm not entirely pleased with the way the first part of this story plays out. And by first part, I mean everything up to now, and some past now. It's pretty long, so I guess I just needed to establish everybody before moving onto the larger story, but I feel that I could have done so much better, but I'll do my best to make sure the quality improves. **

**By the way, since I'm too busy buying video games to actually get the new 40k edition, how is it? I wasn't too much of a fan of 6th edition, and I've heard that plenty has changed with 7th. I've heard good things, but I'm not really sure on what to think about all of it.**

**Oh yeah, I've gotten around to doing chapter titles now too. So the story's got that going for it, which is nice. **

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><p>The current operations along the edge of the Ultima Segmentum have been completed satisfactorily. Casualties were minor, but human deaths unfortunately reached into the tens of thousands due to heavy enemy focus on those units. We regret being unable to protect those units, but we were able to achieve a near total victory over the Tau presence.<p>

We estimate around thirty thousand dead for their side, and every ship reported in the area is believed to have been destroyed, which would amount to around one hundred of various types. Of special note is the assassination of ten enemy Ethereals, thanks to Sergeant Telion.

Her presence here was influential in the complete breaking of the enemy will to fight. It is with regret that I sent her off to her next calling, with the 3rd Company against the Ork empire of Gausicius.

We are on our way home, planning for a three day layover so that we can rotate in new personnel. As of the writing of this message, I plan to exchange at least forty-four girls. Thirty-two are due for standard leave time, but twelve have requested psychological leave, and after examining the available roster, I have granted it.

No major issues occurred on this campaign, with only three girls dying. Our ships suffered minor damage. We should return to Macragge within the month. A more complete report on the campaign shall be prepared by then. Warp entry comes in three hours, address all urgent requests as Captain of the Fleet to me within that time, or you may have to wait a long time.

-Captain Maria Caligula, Lifewardens 4th Company.

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><p>Erwine watched the clouds race past her view, the corners of her eyes showing the ground moving by comparatively slowly. She did not exactly prefer to be sitting in the cockpit with Adrianne, given that she was only trying to follow what she had heard in her dream.<p>

She could not even remember what had occurred. It was all a distant memory now. All Erwine knew was that she needed to follow Adrianne. Wherever she went, or whatever she did.

Erwine simply sat with the inquisitor now as a gesture of the reconciliation she had granted her. If Erwine had her way, she would be sitting in the back at the moment, as far from Adrianne as possible.

Her anger had gone, leaving only the legitimate dislike for the girl. Erwine caught glances of the smiling girl out of the corner of her left eye. She had a bit of a smile on her face as she guided the shuttle along. Erwine had no idea where they were going, but she hoped that it would be to a place that would not involve more of the activities she had already been forced to do.

However, Erwine had hoped for a lot of things in recent times, and unfortunately, few of those hopes had come true. She couldn't even see how she had the ability to make her own decisions, choose her own path. Of course, so little was revealed about the wish-making process that for all she knew, she might finally gain the ability the second before she died.

_I can't help but feel bad, though, _Erwine thought. She turned her head fully towards Adrianne, feeling a pang of guilt as she looked upon the inquisitor. _She's obviously been trying very hard to do something for a long time. I would like it if she told me…but I still failed her expectations._

And as much as Erwine was driven away by Adrianne, she was also attracted by the kindness with which the inquisitor treated her. She would have liked to experience more of that kindness, but things had gotten more serious exponentially quickly.

"A problem?" Adrianne asked, noticing that Erwine was looking at her. The inquisitor's tone was neutral, similar to the way it had used to be, hours ago. The sun had risen higher into the sky, and was now approaching noon as the shuttle shot through the sky.

"No," Erwine replied with a shake of her head. The attempt at lying was shoddy, and Adrianne saw through it easily.

"What's wrong?" Adrianne asked. Erwine almost blurted it out right there. Adrianne sounded so sincere that…that she was sincere.

"I messed up," Erwine's lips moved before she knew they were moving, such was the way she was struck by Adrianne's quick reaction to Erwine's seeming concern.

"What do you mean?" Adrianne asked, "You acted perfectly naturally, I was the one who 'messed up', if anyone is truly to blame for that."

Erwine almost lashed back at the inquisitor for attempting to shift blame off of herself with those final few words, but Erwine realized that she herself was not blameless either. "We could have gotten that information about whatever you needed," Erwine said sadly, "But I couldn't do what you asked me to. I didn't have the courage to do something…something that's part of my job now."

"Most girls aren't supposed to do those kinds of things for weeks after they've contracted," Adrianne said, guilt and shame in her voice, "I can't blame you for failing."

"But I did not fail just you personally! I failed the entire operation!" Erwine cried, "I messed up, and it's cost all of us!"

Adrianne shook her head, "Actually, you're failure has given us an opportunity that we are now going to exploit."

"What do you mean?" Erwine asked, recoiling a little. She expected something else, words of condolence that she could contradict, a gesture of kindness that she could refuse. Not facts that she could not refute due to her limited knowledge.

"We're going back to your old city," Adrianne said, speaking as if Erwine had left the place months, if not years, ago. "There's someone we need to meet with, who will give us the key to bringing down the smuggling ring on this planet, which will hopefully result in the obtaining of clue that will lead us to our next destination."

"Who are we going to see?"

"An aristocrat," Adrianne said, "You'll see when we get there, but until then, do not worry. This would not have occurred were it not for your failure last night. We could have made that efficient and quick, but we could not, due to many faults on everyone's parts. But that speed would have resulted in less being done and gathered, so this is better. We're about to be given a key which will let us right into the heart of the enemy."

Erwine was perturbed, not entirely understanding. But she asked no more, willing to let this go. She could at least trust Adrianne in terms of official matters. She turned her head to the side again, not really wanting to say anything more.

All she could think of was how much she had lost. She had gained more than she had lost, but she had lost a life of peace and quiet. Exchanging it for one of pain and battle.

_Why do I need to stick with Adrianne? _She wondered. Only the message from the dream was in her mind, not who gave it to her. She had no idea why she had to listen to that. She had just gotten the impression that she should.

Erwine's eyes went wide as she realized that she could have gotten out this morning, with Laelia and Ayelen ready to turn on the inquisitor. Yet something had told her not to. Something had gotten into her dream, made sure that she did not.

_What's Adrianne's power? _Erwine wondered, horror crawling across her face. She would have looked at Adrianne once more, but was afraid of attracting her attention once more. So she kept looking out the window, confident that she could rationally think this through.

_What do I do? What do I do? _The question repeated. Erwine came to the realization that she had to speak to the inquisitor. Not to question her. But to ensure that her intentions were certainly just. Erwine worried about her future. So that was what she could speak with Adrianne on.

"What is my future going to be like?" Erwine asked,

"Why are you worried?"

"I have a right to be worried," Erwine realized she was a bit too defensive, but Adrianne went on without noticing too much.

Adrianne let a sigh escape her lips. She wished that it did not, but she let it anyways. "Erwine," she said softly. Suddenly, her voice took on a different tone. It was lower in volume, and seemed somber. "I really can't say what your future's going to be like," she was not lying, that much was certain.

"Then give me an idea," Erwine needed a reason. She could not just follow a message gained from a dream which she had no memory of.

Adrianne shook her head. As it shook, Erwine saw a glint in the girl's eye. "I can't," Adrianne insisted, "I don't know, and I really would prefer to not discuss such things at the moment."

She was hiding something from Erwine. Erwine glared at Adrianne for a second, before Adrianne cost a somber glance back at her. Erwine's own animosity was defeated, and she ceased her visual assault.

"Erwine," Adrianne said, her voice solemn, yet also forceful. "Please don't do this," she begged, "You would not like this conversation were it to continue,"

"Then why am I here?" Erwine countered, "Tears coming to her own eyes. You've yet to give me a good reason for all this, only insisting that you'll tell me at some point."

"I will tell you," Adrianne insisted, before Erwine gritted her teeth and shouted.

"You keep saying that!" she was distraught, her face wracked with pain, "Just give me some reason. Don't cry for me, act like a child. I want to know, I want to know what's really wrong, a good reason as to why you did all that to me!"

Adrianne looked Erwine in the eyes. "As I said before, if I told you now, then you would not believe me. You would never forgive me."

"Let me just say that it does not justify what I have done, so I would prefer that you think up your own reason for all this, rather than I give you the cold, hard truth that will only work to drive us even further apart at this moment."

Erwine looked back, "You will tell me?"

"I promise I will," Adrianne said with a nod.

"Then I won't complain till then," Erwine said, "And I might be able to forgive you, you know?"

"That implies that I want you to forgive me…" the comment was almost an afterthought by Adrianne, but her expression made it clear she was done, so Erwine looked away once again.

She worried, but in her heart, she felt that Adrianne was a good person.

* * *

><p>Erwine felt the ship slowing as her home city appeared on the horizon. They were still traveling thousands of kilometers per hour for thirty seconds, though, so much distance was traveled even as they slowed down.<p>

The ship was still making a very fast speed as it came in towards the hive towers of the city. The cutter was unmarked, and carried no sort of identification. However, its arrival had been prearranged, only a few hours before, so it was not harassed by any sort of defense.

It came to land on a platform kilometers above the city below, and Erwine found herself amazed as she stepped out of the aircraft. The platform was protected by a force field that prevented the wind from knocking anyone off the platform, but it was still quite cold.

Erwine walked to the edge of the hexagonal piece of metal and looked down. She could barely make out the individual buildings several kilometers down and away from her.

"How high are we?" she muttered to herself.

"Two kilometers," Adrianne called, "And it keeps going for a bit more,"

Erwine had never really wanted to be in a hive spire, no matter how magnificent the lifestyle or view. She did not like looking down and realising that she was very high above the ground, in a seemingly thin pillar.

But she now saw the pillar was not very thin, and had only seemed that way in relation to some of the mountains around the city. It was actually quite wide, a few hundred meters, and had plenty of room on the inside.

She walked back over to Adrianne and the others, and they were lead inside by a serf. He guided them through the halls of the spire to an elevator, which they took up a floor.

Erwine was amazed by everything she saw and experienced in the place. It caused her to forget all traumatic thoughts she had, at least for the moment. The halls were wide, possibly just as large as her old home was, and taller than the short ceiling.

Every one of her steps was taken on beautifully woven red carpeting, with designs on them being in other, darker colors. This carpet was framed by the pristine wooden walls and ceiling.

She did not understand what the wood was. When she first entered the spire, she went up the wall and started knocking on the wall. She had never seen wood in her life, and had only heard it be mentioned.

She stroked her finger across the smooth surface, and tapped it as well. She did all sorts of things, trying to discover what she was looking at.

Laelia noticed this. "I take it you've never seen wood before?"

"That is what this is?" Erwine was surprised, she said, "I've heard of it, but I've never seen it in my life,"

Everyone laughed at this, much to the annoyance of Erwine. She got back to the others and kept following them, and continued to show her lack of knowledge of anything.

She did not quite understand what the potted plants that could be seen to the side of the hall were. She thought that they were plants, and had heard of the word before, and had it explained to her what a plant was.

But she had never seen one. Laelia gave a quick explanation of what they were, before everyone laughed at Erwine once more.

They finally made it to the elevator, in which Erwine continue to be amazed. "What…what is this?" she asked, looking around the large, rectangular space.

"It is an elevator," Laelia said, "And I know, you've never heard of one or seen one before,"

Erwine looked at the floor and nodded. She was quite embarrassed. It was only a few second ride up one floor, and when the doors opened, Erwine did not both to show any sort of amazement.

Laelia felt sympathy for the girl. She came from a place where she had not learned much about the rest of the world either, in fact, it was even less than Erwine.

She put a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Don't worry," she said, "Don't be embarrassed, I knew even less than you did when I first contracted, but that gave me the urge to learn more,"

Erwine sighed, "I know, but I'd prefer to avoid this current humiliation,"

"They're not laughing in a mean way," Laelia said, "You're just funny, even if you don't mean to be,"

They came to a large door. The serf opened it for them, and held it as the five girls filed into the room beyond. Erwine tried to contain her excitement, but was hard-pressed to do so, after she encountered the amazing sight which awaited her.

It was a high room, about three meters, and it was very wide, stretching for four meters in either direction. Erwine was astrounded by the amount of space. She looked around, thinking that everything this family had must be in this one room, but found that it seemed to be quite barren.

There were a few couches, and some chairs around a few tables, but nothing else. "W-w-what is this?" Erwine stuttered.

"This is like an entrance hall," Adrianne said, "It is one of many rooms,"

"H-h-how?" Erwine asked. She knew the nobles in the spires had luxurious lives, but this?! _This is not possible! _She thought, _no one can have this much space!_

Adrianne turned to Erwine, "Welcome to the lifestyle of the rich and powerful of the Imperium," she said, "Expect to see this a lot,"

Erwine could only nod slack-jawed as she surveyed the room. As she stood there gaping, a voice called out, "Greetings, milady!"

A middle-aged man walked into the large room from one of the side doors. He was followed by a woman of a similar age. Both wore clothes only nobles would wear.

Erwine stared at them in shock, wondering how someone could afford such expensive clothing. _And jewelry, _she thought, _are they just showing off to Adrianne? _

It certainly seemed that way.

"Hello, Mr. Vivian," Adrianne said, walking to shake the man's hand. She then did the same with the woman. It was comical, the way the man and the woman treated the little girl with seemingly more respect than anyone else.

Vivian opened his mouth to say something more, but Adrianne held up her hand. "I have no time for flattery, and you will be rewarded more for getting this done quickly than showing off your kindness and generosity,"

The noble shut his mouth as fast as he opened it, nodded, and then turned around. His wife cast a wary glance at him as he walked off quickly, and then looked back at Adrianne.

Neither girl said anything. The entire room was in an awkward silence. Erwine wanted to say something to someone, and then remembered that she could speak telepathically.

_Is that normal? _She asked, broadcasting it the question to the entire group.

_Very normal, _Airi answered, _Adrianne was a noble herself, but has no time for their need to gain more than they have, and does not feed that desire in any way. _

Erwine was chilled when Adrianne turned her head and gestured for Erwine to come join her near the door where Mr. Vivian and his wife had first entered.

The girl walked up to the inquisitor, but she was slow. Adrianne simply turned her head back around, and waited for Erwine, while Vivian returned with someone else following him.

It was a young girl, about the age of Erwine and her fellow magical girls. She was dressed in the formal clothes of a young noble, as that was what she was. She held herself in a way that conveyed a sense of respect towards the other magical girls in the room, yet this same sense of respect was not displayed towards the man next to her, nor the woman who followed this girl into the room.

_Haha, _Adrianne chuckled, _this is quite typical. _

_What? _Erwine asked, watching the entering girl closely, and doing her best to not look like the uneducated, uncultured fool she truly was.

_Magical girls and their parents do not get along well, _Adrianne explained, _you'll see that after just a month, your view of humans will have changed. _Her tone told me that she was certain of this. Erwine had little reason to doubt Adrianne at this point. She may not have wanted to like her all that much, but what she had said had come true.

The young girl curtsied to the Inquisitor and her companions. "Greetings," she said, "I am Alexandria Vivian." She then dropped her more formal, noble attitude, and walked forwards to shake hands with Adrianne.

"I trust that you are prepared?" Adrianne asked.

"Of course…" Alexandra did not finish her sentence, looking unsure of what to say. It was as if she was unsure of whether or not to use Adrianne's title.

"No title, please," Adrianne explained.

"Adrianne," Alexandra finished, "Yes, I am all prepared, come this way,"

Adrianna waved for Erwine to follow her, so the young magical girl did so. Alexandra let the Inquisitor and her apprentice through a series of hallways, till they reached a large room. The first thing Erwine noticed was the massive bed, before her eyes saw the various other furnishings in the room.

She could not comprehend what she was seeing. She stood in the doorway, her eyes moving back and forth across the room. Her breathing started to become more and more rapid, as her face became more and more twisted in shock.

"W-w-what is this?!" she exclaimed, she walked into the room, moving to touch various pieces of furniture, as if she needed to confirm that they were all real.

"This is my bedroom," Alexandra explained, her tone being one that an adult would use with a child, before looking at Adrianne with a confused face.

"Lower city," Adrianne explained, "Shared hab, never had a single room where she could be guaranteed silence." Her voice was filled with a certain compassion and pity for the person she spoke of. It was the kind of compassion felt not by one who had experienced what they spoke of, but rather the compassion felt by someone who wished they could fix the problems they spoke of.

Alexandra nodded, "Yes, I imagine you've never seen anything like this?" she asked. It was rhetorical, yet Erwine did reply in a way.

The young girl spun around from where she had been staring at the bed, which lay against the right wall a meter from the window, she glared into Alexandra's face with such an intensity that the noble girl actually took a step back.

Erwine's face could have been interpreted as expressing many different things. One may have seen anger, hatred, sadness, envy, and many other emotions in her expression. Yet only one of those was the thing the girl truly felt.

She just did not understand. She did not understand what was going on. _Nobles live like this, in towers like this, with single bedrooms like this, yet there are thousands suffering below them! Are we cattle?! Do they not care for any of us?! We're just tools! Nothing more than tools! _

Alexandra tried to explain, tried to calm the girl down, "Erwine, please, understand me, I do not have anything to do with this. There is little I can do to influence my family and-"

Adrianne held up a hand which cut the girl off. Adrianne glared at the girl, giving Alexandra a look that demanded silence. And silence is what Adrianne received.

Erwine turned to now look at Adrianne. She looked like a dog that had just been kicked by its owner, who was now turning back to question what it had done wrong, and why it had been wrong. Except in this case, Erwine was wondering what society had done wrong.

Adrianne took a step forwards. Erwine did not move. Adrianne embraced the girl gently. Whispering softly, she explained, "The Imperium is a very unfair place, Erwine. Please understand that many of the people you encounter do not necessarily think you to be inferior, nor do they want you to be their slave. They simply take what they have for granted, and do not understand what it means to truly suffer."

"I wish that I could make things different, but I am only one inquisitor in a galaxy of millions of planets. I cannot even stop this from occuring on one planet, as I do not have the time nor the obligation. Neither do you. I am an inquisitor, and you work for me. We don't have time to try and fix society, and eradicate all injustices everywhere. All we can do is make sure that humanity and the Imperium survive."

Erwine was close to tears. _So this girl here gets to live a happy, peaceful life, while my friends and family are in constant danger of assault, robbery, rape, or even death?! _She was ready to strike out at this noble girl, yet Adrianne held her back.

"Please, Erwine, focus," Adrianne ordered, then calmly asked, "I need you to focus, can you do that?"

Erwine choked out, through half-formed tears, "Yes,"

"Then I need you to do one thing for me," Adrianne said, putting her face in front of Erwine's, "I need you to forget that this injustice ever existed, and focus on the mission at hand, as without you, people will die, and you cannot save anyone by complaining now, or hurting this girl."

"Do you understand me?" Adrianne asked.

Erwine nodded, and she was released. Adrianne immediately turned to look at Alexandra, "We are ready to begin, if you are as well,"

Alexandra glanced at Erwine. The girl had tears in her eyes still, but she was clearly better than she had been. She held herself in a way that warned Alexandra to tread carefully, but the noble did know that Adrianne was there to stop Erwine from doing anything reckless.

"I am ready," Alexandra said, still focusing on Erwine, her quick glance having turned into a long stare at the girl.

"Then let us begin, we need all the time we can get," Adrianne said, her voice carrying an extra amount of urgency to motivate Alexandra, who was clearly disturbed by Erwine's behavior.

Alexandra nodded, and strolled over to her bed. She pointed at the couch beside the window, "Erwine, lay there, please," she said, before lying back on the bed.

She took a deep breath, before removing her soul gem from where it was on her finger. She converted it to its egg form, and then handed it to Adrianne, who had followed her to the bed.

Adrianne turned around with the gem in hand. "Erwine," she said, staring the young girl in the eyes, "Do what she said, please,"

Erwine looked down at the floor, clearly hesitant to follow anyone's orders at this point. But she knew that she could trust Adrianne, so she lay down on the couch.

Adrianne walked over quickly, and held her one empty hand out, "Remove your gem, please," she ordered. It sounded like less of an order, and more of a polite request. Erwine knew that it was not a request she could refuse, but the fact that the tone made it sound like that helped her follow the request.

The girl removed her soul gem from where it was in the crown atop her head. She placed it in Adrianne's palm, and in reply, Adrianne placed Alexandra's soul on Erwine's chest.

She then placed Erwine's soul on Alexandra's chest, and then stood in the middle of the space between the two girls. "Alright," Adrianne said, her voice calm and collected, yet still stern and forceful, "Both of you, reach out telepathically, and feel the mind of the other,"

Erwine did as she was told, and felt Alexandra starting to connect to her own mind. Neither girl was a telepath, but they could still communicate of course, and that communicative link was what they now used. "There's not much I can instruct either of you to do, understand that," Adrianne warned, then explained, "Now that you feel the mind, try to feel the body of the other, and imagine that you are slipping into the place of the person there,"

Erwine tried to do this, but all she got was a fierce headache as she tried to shove herself into Alexandra's mind as Alexandra tried to do the same. The process was not working. Adrianne shook her head and sighed, "I expected this, Erwine is not trained in any way, we need to forcefully disconnect her,"

The inquisitor walked forwards and picked up Alexandra's body, "Don't mind me, I imagine Erwine will not want to wake up alone in another's body, and you would not want to wake up in my arms," she said.

"No worries," Alexandra said, as she was carried out of the room.

"Stay there," Adrianne called to Erwine, "Close your eyes, and keep doing as I told you. In about half a minute, everything will go dark,"

The inquisitor carried the girl through the quarters of her family, and into the entrance hall. She was looked at strangely by Alexandra's parents as she approached but she ignored their stares and told her subordinates, "We need to forcefully disconnect, give me a hand Airi,"

The teleporter nodded and walked over to meet Adrianne. The two stood close together, but the parents of the girl Adrianne held in her arms approached, concerned. Adrianne glared at them, and shook her head. Laelia stepped forwards to explain the situation, and Adrianne, Airi, and Alexandra disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Erwine, back in Alexandra's bedroom, fell limp. She had been worried about what was going on. She did not know anything about the maximum distance at which a soul can control a body, so she was forced to follow her orders and guess at what was happening. Adrianne had redeemed herself in Erwine's eyes, so the girl was inclined to trust the inquisitor, but this was making her question that trust.

Erwine appeared in a dark space. Everything was black, and there was nothing for her to sense, save the color black. She felt a tug on her, and after only a split second of that dark space, she was awake, yet she felt different.

She was also in a different place. She was outside now. She could see the city around her, and the tower stretching up above her. She looked down, and realized she was on the landing pad the ship had first landed on.

She was not standing on her own. Erwine turned her head and nearly jumped to find that she was looking at the smiling face of Adrianne. "Hello there," the inquisitor said, "I see you're awake,"

Erwine was shocked. "How…how am I here?" she asked, her voice filled with astonishment, and even a little fear. She looked at herself and realized that she was wearing the same dress Alexandra had…she realized she was in Alexandra's body now.

"You switched bodies with Alexandra Vivian," Adrianne explained, "You have no idea how to do that, so I had to start you off, and then bring you beyond the range at which your body can be controlled by your soul,"

"So this is what it is like," Erwine asked, shock filling her voice, "This is what it's like to just switch my body with another one?"

Adrianne smiled. She was clearly sad. She did not want Erwine to have to go through this. "I'm so sorry," Adrianne said, her smiling becoming more and more sad. "This is something we must go through."

Erwine was still in Adrianne's arms. The young girl clung to the inquisitor like she was her mother. She held onto her like she was the only thing between her and insanity. Erwine started to cry.

Adrianne let the young girl cry. She deserved to cry. She had already cried much in the past day, but for all that Adrianne had put her through, the inquisitor felt that Erwine deserved to cry for all eternity.

The landing pad was silent. It was still shielded from the winds by the void shield. The shuttle was the only other thing standing on the pad besides Adrianne.

"Don't cry, please," Adrianne begged, her voice quiet, and pitiful. "I'm begging you, don't cry,"

Erwine did not, could not, follow that request. But she could ask, "Why?"

"Because it brings me closer to accepting what I have become," Adrianne replied, "And when I finally accept that…I don't want to think about what would happen,"

"What do you mean?" Erwine said, "You're a good person,"

"No, I'm not," Adrianne said with a shake of her head. "I am nothing like a good person, not after everything I've done,"

Erwine was determined to convince Adrianne otherwise, yet she did not know how she could possible win that argument. "What have you done wrong?" she asked.

"Everything," Adrianne said, speaking like a criminal confessing to murder, "I did everything that a terrible person could do, all while thinking that I was doing something right,"

"What happened to you?" Erwine said, looking into Adrianne's eyes.

"I-I-I don't know," Adrianne said, "Or maybe I do, but that story is for another day, another time, when we do not have our job to do,"

"We always have a job to do," Erwine pointed out, "Or at least, that's what you make it seem like." Her voice was stern, yet soft. She sounded like Adrianne used to, when she tried to calm Erwine.

_She's already grown so much, _Adrianne thought, _she really is the one I need. _The inquisitor smiled, and came close to chuckling. "You're a clever one, I'll give you that," she said, _although I will give you so much responsibility that you will never desire and have never desired._

Adrianne let Erwine out of her arms. Erwine stood up, a little unsteady, both because of the way in which she was deposited, as well as the new body she occupied. "We must go, let me-"

"No!" Erwine shouted, "We are not leaving until you give me answers!"

Adrianne paused. She had been looking past Erwine, and then she fell to her knees. It was not telegraphed in any way. She just fell down and did not get back up. Erwine followed her, kneeling down in fright.

She put a hand on the inquisitor's shoulder, "What's wrong?!" she shouted, her anger switching to concern,

Adrianne shook her head, with a sad smile on her face. "None of my excuses will ever justify the things I have done to you over the course of the last thirty hours," she said, as if that explained all her grief.

Erwine knew that it did not. "What do you mean?" Erwine asked, "I know I'm important, but what you did was not normal?"

"Of course it was not!" Adrianne shouted, not angrily. She simply spoke at a higher volume than she normally did, the pitch and tone ended up being close to the same.

"I was supposed to slowly induct you, revealing more and more of my ways as time went on. You were supposed to learn the truth about soul gems after at least three days of preparation, and not in the field. There were no special circumstances which would justify your quick induction. I did everything I did because of what I need you to do," Adrianne explained, as Erwine's face expressed more and more shock as time went on.

"What?" Erwine asked, unable to understand this, "What…what would require you to do that?"

Adrianne shook her head. "I cannot say, not right now. I cannot tell you what has occurred in any short period of time, nor why I need you to be the way I want," she said, "But I am sorry for what I have done."

The girl stood up, "Apologies do not justify my actions, nor do they reduce their impacts. However, it makes me feel better inside," she chuckled, "I am selfish, are I not?"

The girl shrugged as Erwine stared at her in shock. "Have you anything to say?" she wondered, as she then looked up into the sky.

She was surprised to find someone wrapping their arms around her shoulders. "I don't understand anything," Erwine said, "I don't understand what I am supposed to do as a magical girl. I don't understand why you are doing what you are doing. I don't understand who you truly are, even on the most basic level."

"But I trust you," Erwine said, "Because you have cared for me more than anyone else, even while you have hurt me more than anyone else. I trust you with my life."

Erwine said, "So do not apologize for what you have done, because I don't understand why you've done what you have done. Apologies should only come after one's plan has failed, and the ends do not justify the means,"

Adrianne was speechless. Her arms were still at her sides, yet she brought them up slowly and embraced Erwine back. "Thank you," she said, then repeated, "Thank you,"

"It was nothing," Erwine insisted, "Don't thank me for thanking you,"

Adrianne smiled. It was a truly happy smile, and she stood where she was for a few seconds, unmoving. After a time, Erwine broke away, and smiled at Adrianne. It was a smile that Adrianne had never seen on the girl. It was a smile Adrianne recognized as that of a hopeful girl who did not understand the world around her, yet she was ready to venture out and face it, no matter what.

Adrianne said, "Your actions shall justify my methods. So I must thank you for being strong, Erwine Braune, as you could possibly be my redemption, or you could possibly be my undoing," she reached out and put her hand on Erwine's shoulder.

"I would like to do this again," Adrianne said. Erwine looked confused, before Adrianne started, "Erwine Braune, do you give your life and service to me, Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition, and Her Holy Majesty the Goddess of the Imperium of Mankind?"

Erwine grabbed Adrianne's hand that was on her shoulder, and knelt down. She kissed the back of the girl's hand, "Yes, Inquisitor Adrianne Azure of Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition, I do,"

"Then rise," Adrianne commanded, "Your body is back where you left it, and we need to put this new one to some good use," she said this with a smile.

Erwine stood up, and smiled back. "Yes, Adrianne." She spoke in a voice that was happier than ever before, and with a smile that was brighter than any she had ever had on her face.

As Airi was called back to teleport the two girls back, Erwine could feel the universe opening up before her, as she was truly inducted into Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition.

Erwine looked up at the sky, beyond which was an endless universe, filled with horrors far beyond Erwine's imagination. There were countless ways in which she could die, and countless fates worse than death.

Yet she did not mind.

In that moment, she swore that she felt no despair.

* * *

><p>The concept of grief cube smuggling has been around for a lnog time, but has only truly taken root in the past two to three thousand years, with the end of the more chaotic internal strife and the firm establishment of a transport system. The issue only came out of the system developed to protect humans.<p>

Local magical girls never existed for thousands of years, with the Mage Knights and Inquisition assigning those who could be spared to gather such resources. The system of local girls does increase efficiency, but it also decreases the dedication of the girls involved.

Most of the Imperium has the local girls as part of the local Mage Knight chapter, rotating them in and out when they are on leave. The issue is that many sectors have no local Mage Knight presence, so they cannot do this. This leads to the issue of girls getting greedy and power-hungry, as such things effect especially magical girls.

Therefore, the Ordo Hereticus shall need to be extra certain to maintain a constant watch on local teams, and most Sects require weekly reports on everyone on the planet. But even then, corruption can extend very far, and it is not certain that even this will change much.

-Excerpt from the M31.002 Inquisitorial Summit's Committee on the Grief Cube Smuggling Issue's Report.


End file.
